Club Secret
by Graceful Storyteller
Summary: Naruto wanted to know where his friends went every Friday night. When he's taken to Club Secret his question is answered and he becomes hopelessly entangled in the ancient battle between Vampires and Hunters. GaaNaru, ZabuHaku, ItaSasu.
1. Chapter 1

I'd just like to say that I've never been to a night club before and therefore the setting of this fic will be based on what I've seen on TV. That and I manipulated it to make it work the way I wanted to.

The main pairing of the fic will be GaaNaru, the other pairings will exist but I don't think I'll be delving too deeply into them. I think that's all I have to say. Now enjoy!**  
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**Club Secret**

Any idiot could see that Naruto was excited. The fifteen year old was practically skipping down the street, completely unaware that his friend Sasuke was glaring at him. Besides Sasuke, Haku was laughing quietly at the over-energetic blond. Unlike Sasuke Haku was not embarrassed by Naruto's actions. This was, after all, the reaction he expected from the blond.

It had started a few months ago. Naruto had asked if his two best friends wanted to go out Friday night. They had both told him they were busy. A few weeks later Naruto had once again asked them out and they had given him the same reply as before. After this had happened a few more times Naruto had begun to get suspicious. He had then asked questions that got vague answers or no answer at all. Soon after he had demanded that they take him with them on their nights out.

Sasuke and Haku had refused to bend to his demands until that morning when they had decided that they could no longer stand Naruto's nagging and whining. That was why the three friends were dressed up and heading out to the club Haku and Sasuke always went to on a Friday night: Club Secret; the hottest and most exclusive club in town.

"What's so great about this Club Secret anyway?" Naruto asked his friends over his shoulder.

"They always play really good music and the atmosphere is just amazing. Plus, Sasuke's brother knows the owner so we get to skip the line to get in," answered Haku.

"Does that mean I'm finally going to get to meet the infamous Itachi?" asked Naruto enthusiastically.

"Yes," muttered Sasuke ruefully. "You better not embarrass me in front of him."

Naruto's face took on a look of fake innocence. "Me? Embarrass you? I would never dream of it!"

Sasuke growled and not for the first time wondered why he was friends with the annoying blond.

Naruto laughed at the look on his friend's face. "Don't worry, I promise not to be more of an embarrassment to you than I normally am." He paused for dramatic effect before adding, "If you let me stay at your house tonight."

"No," was the automatic answer.

"Please!" begged Naruto pathetically. "I told Iruka that I was going to sleep over at your house and it would be really suspicious if I went back in the middle of the night! He's not like your guardians – he would never have let me come out if I'd told him that I was going clubbing! Please Sasuke! Please!"

"You can stay with me tonight if you want," offered Haku.

Naruto cheered and gave his friend a one-armed hug. "Thank you Haku! You're a great friend, unlike a certain someone I know."

Sasuke ignored Naruto's jibe and pointed to his left. "That's Club Secret."

Naruto turned and stared at the mass of people standing in line before the neon sign that proclaimed the name of the illustrious club. "Wow, this place _is_ popular."

They approached the well-built bouncer that guarded the entrance to the club. From out of his pocket Sasuke fished out a card and held it up to the beefy man. He then jerked his head towards his two friends and said, "They're with me."

The bouncer nodded and allowed the three of them to enter. Immediately they were assaulted by the music that was being blasted out of the speakers. Outside it had been an acceptable volume but inside it seemed to be ten times as loud.

Naruto started when Haku grabbed his wrist and led him towards a flight of stairs. He then relaxed and started to look around the club. Most of the ground floor was open-plan to maximise the amount of clubbers that could fit into the place. The bar ran around the edge of the dance floor and there was a set of doors that led off to the toilets.

Then there was the balcony that circled above the dance floor. This was a place for the VIPs to sit and watch the action below while they took a break from dancing. The three friends made their way across the balcony towards a man who looked like an older version of Sasuke. Naruto grinned broadly as he stuck out his hand for the man to shake. "Itachi! We meet at last!"

Itachi gazed disinterestedly at him. "So you're Sasuke's friend." He then turned to Sasuke, completely ignoring Naruto's still outstretched hand. "Hello little brother."

"Itachi," replied Sasuke icily.

To Naruto's amazement and horror Sasuke then kissed his brother. On the lips. For more than a minute.

The man sitting beside Itachi laughed. "Haku, you sadist, you didn't tell him what he was getting himself in for did you?"

Haku giggled. "We thought we'd surprise him," he answered as he leaned in to kiss the much older man.

"He certainly looks surprised."

Haku turned back to Naruto and laughed at the look on his friend's face. "Naruto, this is my boyfriend Zabuza."

Naruto blinked like a startled goldfish. "Um…Hi?"

"Nice to meet you brat," said Zabuza pleasantly as he shook Naruto's hand.

"And this is Gaara," Haku said as he indicated the man sitting next to Zabuza.

Naruto stared at the redhead who had turned to regard him with intense green eyes. He looked a few years older than Naruto and was wearing all black, easily blending into the shadows of the dark club. He was also extremely sexy. At least, that was Naruto's opinion on the subject. "Hello."

Gaara stared silently at Naruto for a few more seconds before returning his attention to his drink. Naruto huffed, not happy that he hadn't received any sort of reply. Haku leaned in and whispered, "Gaara doesn't really talk much ; I've known him for awhile now and I think he's only ever said half a dozen words to me in that time."

"Mr Sociable," muttered Naruto sarcastically under his breath. He turned his head and his gaze landed on Sasuke and Itachi. Naruto quickly looked away, leaning in close to Haku so he wouldn't be overheard. "Those two, they did that just to freak me out…right?"

"Sorry Naruto, they didn't – Sasuke and Itachi are dating," replied Haku in equally hushed tones. Once again Naruto was stunned into silence. Haku patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's alright; I had exactly the same reaction when I found out."

Naruto contemplated the situation for a second. He then grinned as he turned to place a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke regarded the hand wearily before moving to meet Naruto's gaze. The blue eyed boy's grin widened as he cheerfully said, "Sasuke, if I found out anyone else was having an incestuous relationship with their brother I'd say they were crazy and fucked up for doing so. But you were crazy and fucked up before that so I guess you're just following your nature and I accept that and hope you won't ever make-out in front of me again."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Besides from insulting me what was the point of that little speech?"

"I just wanted you to know that I don't think of you differently now that I know your dirty little secret."

"You're an idiot Naruto," said Sasuke irritably even though he was secretly smiling.

"What?!" cried Naruto heatedly. "I just accept you for being the twisted prick that you are and you call me an idiot?! Bastard."

An identical twitch that almost resembled a smile graced the faces of the Uchiha brothers. Haku and Zabuza quickly stifled their laughter at the comical indignation of their blond companion. Naruto turned to rant at them but stopped when he noticed that Gaara was staring at him. Naruto resisted the urge to blush. All of the redhead's attention was focused directly on him, his penetrating green eyes connected and latched onto baby blue ones. It was quite unnerving to be looked at in such a way. However, it also felt kind of…nice being the centre of attention. Even the most anti-social of the group was watching him and only him.

Naruto hastily pulled himself back into the real world. "So what perks do I get for being the friend of someone who knows the owner of the place?"

"Skipping the line and being allowed into the VIP lounge isn't enough for you?" asked Zabuza with a smirk.

Naruto beamed. "Nope! I also want free alcoholic drinks and peanuts. Oh, and a sexy dance partner too. And maybe one of those-"

"They won't sell alcohol to those underage, even in the VIP lounge," interrupted Sasuke before Naruto came out with a really idiotic request.

"What?" whined Naruto. "What about the peanuts then?" Itachi pushed the glass bowl into Naruto's line of sight. Naruto grinned and took a handful from the bowl. He placed a few in his mouth before asking, "What about the sexy dance partner, or do I have to use my charms and dashing good looks to find one of those?"

Itachi curled his lip as he watched Naruto's less than charming display of the contents of his mouth. "Gaara will dance with you."

Naruto choked on his peanuts. Haku whacked him on the back and half a minute later Naruto could breathe again. He looked between Gaara and Itachi with a fair amount of incredulity on his face. From the very serious look on his face Itachi didn't appear to be joking. Naruto wasn't quite sure whether this was a good or bad development.

Naruto looked at Gaara who was glaring at Itachi. The Uchiha didn't seem fazed by the murderous intent in the redhead's eyes and stared back impassively. Naruto panicked for a moment before mentally slapping himself. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever to panic. He was being offered the chance to dance with a guy who may have been anti-social but was also extremely hot. Looking at it this way there was no reason to panic; he was just being stupid and overreacting.

Naruto beamed at Gaara. "I'm up for it if you are."

For a moment it seemed that Gaara wasn't up for it. Then Zabuza grabbed hold of his shirt and forcefully pushed him away from the bar. Gaara glared back at him as he brushed the creases out of his clothes. He then turned to Naruto and said, "One song, one dance, that's it, got it?"

Naruto nodded, only now noticing how tall Gaara was compared to him. Why the hell was _everyone_taller than him?! It wasn't fair; damn his inherited shortness.

Pulling himself out of his internal rant, Naruto smiled benignly at Gaara. "Sure, I can deal with that."

Naruto then grabbed Gaara's hand and dragged him down to the dance floor. Gaara bristled at the contact and tried to pull free. Naruto wasn't willing to give up though and kept a firm grip on Gaara's hand until they had pushed their way into the mass of sweating, dancing bodies. They were instantly absorbed into the crowd, becoming one of those gyrating bodies. The air thrummed with the beat of the music and it was impossible to resist the call to dance. Naruto and Gaara were pushed up against each other by the crowd, their personal space well and truly invaded. They disregarded that fact and instead concentrated on letting their bodies move to the music's rhythm.

Naruto's hands ran up the length of Gaara's body before wrapping themselves around his neck. Gaara's hands massaged Naruto's hips, his intense green gaze locked onto Naruto's enchanted blue one. They rocked back and forth together, their bodies rubbing against each other in an intoxicating delicious way. Gaara's hands cupped Naruto's ass and squeezed lightly. The redhead lifted the blond up before letting him slowly slide back down, creating beautiful friction. Naruto tipped his head back and moaned, his eyes slipping closed for a second as he felt a pair of lips descend on his throat. This was heaven, this was bliss, this was…

Gaara pulled Naruto's arms from around his neck. He then gracefully began to weave his way through the crowd back towards the VIP staircase. Naruto stared after him in astonishment for a few seconds before pulling himself together. He barged through the crowd after the redhead unaware of the angered glares sent his way.

Naruto managed to catch Gaara just before he began ascending the stairs. He grabbed hold of Gaara's arm and turned the redhead to face him before shouting, "What's the big idea; why did you just leave like that?!"

"They changed the track," was the calm reply.

"What?!" cried Naruto in confused exasperation.

"I promised you one song and one dance. As soon as the song was over I was no longer required to dance so I left."

Naruto stared at him in disbelief. How could he act like they had been doing something as mundane as playing chess? How could he go from being a fiery, passionate dancer to an icicle in ten seconds flat? Hadn't he enjoyed dancing with him?

The way Gaara was acting both hurt and pissed Naruto off. The bastard wasn't the least bit attracted to him and probably thought him a fool for assuming that he was; he was probably now going to go up to his friends and laugh about how excited Naruto had gotten over a little dance. Naruto wanted to punch him but restrained himself from doing so. He didn't want to give the bastard the satisfaction of knowing that he'd got to him.

"Of course, how silly of me to think that you'd want to stay longer than you needed to." Naruto had tried to sound cheerful and carefree but his words had come out more bitter and sarcastic than carefree.

Naruto moved back into the crowd of dancers and away from Gaara. Just because one dance partner had been a bastard didn't mean that they were all going to be. Naruto was going to find someone new to dance with, have some fun with them, and forget all about Gaara's snub.

It wasn't that hard for Naruto to accomplish his mission. There were a lot of single people in the club and even though they were all older than him they were still interested in a dance. Some were a little too old though. Naruto politely told those people that he wasn't interested and they moved on. This plan worked well until he came into contact with a group of men that weren't willing to take no for an answer.

"Come on Blondie; dance with me!"

"I'd rather not right now; I've been gone awhile and my friends will be looking for me," answered Naruto as he slowly edged away from the group.

"They can wait a little longer while we dance."

"No, really, I have to-"

"Nobody says no to me!" the man shouted as he grabbed hold of Naruto's arm.

Naruto reacted immediately, his fist flying into the man's face. The guy recoiled in pain, releasing Naruto's arm in favour of cradling his face. Naruto tried to take the opening made but the other members of the group weren't willing to let someone who had injured their comrade get away so easily. They grabbed hold of Naruto and pulled him out of the throng of people towards a less densely populated part of the club that was not watched by security. Naruto struggled all the way to their destination. Most of the blows landed and caused pain but not enough to make them release him.

The thugs through the blond against a wall and held him there. They were no longer interested in a dance – it was time for a good old fashioned beating. Naruto thrashed about in a vain attempt to get loose but it didn't work. Breathing heavily he looked up into the face of the man he had first punched. He was satisfied to see the blood clotting around the burst lip.

"You're going to pay for this you stuck up little prick."

Naruto sneered at him. "Do your worst bastard – my friends and I will dish out ten times whatever you do."

The man ground his teeth together in anger. He placed one hand on Naruto's chest to keep him still as he drew back the other to inflict his first blow. Naruto closed his eyes, readying himself for whatever pain was to come.

"_Don't touch him._"

Naruto's eyes flew open at the sound of the familiar icy voice. Gaara was a vision of pure fury, hostility rolling off him in almost tangible waves. Naruto shrank back against the wall, suddenly terrified of the murderous redhead.

Gaara's visage had a similar affect on gang surrounding Naruto. Most took a step back and tried to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. There was always one though that seemed to be blind to the danger they were in. "Back off mate or you're next."

The man blinked and missed Gaara moving forward to wrap his hand around the man's throat. The man struggled to prise Gaara's fingers off him but failed miserably. Gaara ended his suffering quickly by throwing him head first into the wall. He then turned his terrifying stare on the man's comrades and hissed, "Don't make me repeat myself."

Those holding Naruto instantly backed as far away as possible from him. The one who had been about to punch the blond was less inclined to follow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Gaara but most prefer to call me," and at this he grinned evilly, "the Sandman."

Those in the group who hadn't been completely intimidated by Gaara and had been ready to gang up on him suddenly weren't so keen on a fight. They all but fled the scene, not even stopping to retrieve their unconscious comrade from the floor.

Naruto watched them go in astonishment. Was Gaara's name really so infamous that it made guys like that piss their pants in fear? Apparently so. Naruto began to wonder if he'd just come out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"Are you alright?"

Naruto jerked in surprise at having Gaara suddenly appear next to him. Those intense green eyes pinned him with an unwavering stare that made Naruto's mouth go dry. He licked his lips before replying, "I'm fine."

Gaara didn't look like he believed him. "If they hurt you they don't deserve to get off unscathed."

Naruto tried to smile reassuringly. "As enjoyable as it would be to watch you beat them to a pulp it really isn't necessary. They didn't do anything to me; I'm fine – honestly."

Gaara analyzed his expression for a few more seconds before nodding in acceptance. He took a step back, making Naruto realize just how close Gaara had been standing to him. He looked up at the redhead and was sure that he caught a hint of worry in those expressionless green orbs. The thought that Gaara was worried about him almost made Naruto smile. Then he remembered that Gaara had snubbed him and instantly became defensive.

"You didn't need to step in – I could have handled those bozos on my own."

Gaara snorted derisively. "It didn't look that way from where I was standing."

Naruto's temper flared. "Well obviously you were standing in the wrong place because I was just about to take them all down before you stepped in and ruined everything!" Naruto paused in his tirade to gather breath. As he did a thought occurred to him. "Where exactly were you standing?" Gaara's brow creased in puzzlement so Naruto tried another approach. "Were you on the dance floor or the balcony?"

"Balcony."

"That can only mean one thing then – you were watching me. Instead of brooding upstairs with your drink you were watching me because there was no way you could have spotted me easily in this crowd and known I was in trouble unless you had been following the little blond dot from the beginning." Naruto smirked when Gaara averted his eyes. His theory was correct – Gaara had been stalking him with his eyes. Which then begged the question, "Why were you watching me?"

Gaara was silent for a whole minute, hoping Naruto would lose interest in his question. Unfortunately for him Naruto was burning for an answer and wasn't willing to let the subject drop. Seeing this Gaara turned and made to head back to the balcony. He was impeded when Naruto grabbed hold of his arm, pinning him with a defiant glare that clearly told Gaara that he wasn't escaping that easily.

Gaara let out a low growl of annoyance. "Let me go."

"Not until you answer my question."

"Your question is inconsequential."

"Not to me it isn't."

The two became engaged in a silent battle of wills. In the end Gaara relented and said, "I was watching you because you intrigued me."

Naruto scrunched up his face in disgust. "I _intrigued_ you? You make me sound like a rat in your science experiment. Is that all I am to you – an experiment to observe?"

Naruto took Gaara's silence as an affirmative. He dropped Gaara's arm as if it were toxic and turned to walk away from him. He didn't get very far though as he had barely taken two steps before Gaara had pinned him to the wall with the speed of lightning.

Naruto kicked out and cried, "Get off me you bastard!"

Gaara didn't let him go though; instead he began pressing kisses up the side of Naruto's neck towards his ear. Naruto squirmed uncomfortably beneath him. He didn't understand any of this. One minute it seemed like he meant nothing to Gaara and the next the redhead was pinning him to the wall and sexually harassing him! Mixed messages or what?

Gaara's tongue ran sensuously along the shell of Naruto's ear. He then grunted as the knee Naruto had aimed at his groin connected with his thigh. A growl escaped his lips as he yanked Naruto forward, turned him around, and shoved him face first into the wall. It was Naruto's turn to grunt in pain as he came in contact with the hard surface.

Gaara covered Naruto's hands with his own and placed them against the wall. His body was flush up against Naruto's back as he leaned down to Naruto's ear to whisper, "You're a very interesting experiment to observe. It's been a long time since I've cared to look twice at a human but for some reason I want to touch you, kiss you, claim you..."

"Why the hell should I let you do any of those things to me when you've been such a bastard?" asked Naruto defiantly.

Gaara smirked and began running his hand down Naruto's body towards his crotch. Naruto tried to back away from the invading hand but was unable to. The blond then bit his lip to stop himself verbally responding as Gaara began to stroke him through his jeans. Damn the bastard was seductive.

"You'll let me because you have no choice in the matter." Gaara paused for effect before adding, "Besides, this tells me you want it too."

Gaara squeezed Naruto's crotch making Naruto arch his back and release a groan of desperation. Gaara continued to smirk victoriously as he leaned down to suck on Naruto's neck. The action made Naruto shiver, especially when Gaara's tongue started to lap at the sensitive skin. He tried again to wriggle out of Gaara's grasp, reaching behind him with his free arm to try and inflict some damage. Gaara retaliated by biting down on his neck. Hard.

Naruto let out a scream as the teeth pierced his skin. His breathing started to become shallower as he felt Gaara sucking on the wound, trying to draw more blood to the surface. The blond was really panicking now, his mind continuously repeating the words – he bit me, he bit me, he bit me! He was in the clutches of a psychopath who was physically stronger than him and already had the advantage of having him in a hold in a part of a night club that people generally didn't visit. Naruto was in big trouble and he knew it.

Then, suddenly, the burning pain in his neck was replaced by a dull ache. The presence of the body pinning him to the wall evaporated and Naruto was flooded with a sense of relief. He felt like he was about to collapse but he managed to stay standing. He turned around slowly to see what had happened and was met by the worried faces of Haku and Sasuke.

"Naruto are you alright?" asked Haku just before his eyes landed on Naruto's neck. He gasped in shock, hurriedly pulling out a tissue and placing in over the wound.

Sasuke's worried frown darkened as he watched Haku trying to stem the bleeding. He turned to look over his shoulder and for a minute Naruto was unsure what had caught the Uchiha's attention. Then he noticed that Itachi and Zabuza were restraining Gaara a short distance away. Sasuke was glaring at Gaara who seemed to be trying to get the others to release him. They didn't look like they were intending to do so anytime soon.

Naruto turned when Haku released a sigh of relief. The dark haired boy smiled at his friend and said, "Your wound has stopped bleeding."

Naruto's shoulders slumped in relief. He hadn't realised he'd tensed up until Haku had dispelled his internal worries that the wound had been deep. Now that he was safe and surrounded by friends Naruto felt less panicked and more vengeful. He gently pushed past Sasuke and approached the two restraining Gaara. All three men froze and looked at him cautiously. Naruto smiled bitterly before punching Gaara's jaw. "That's for biting me you psychopath."

The hit had snapped Gaara's head to the side. Slowly, the redhead turned back to face Naruto, his lips curled up in a snarl to reveal deadly fangs that Naruto was quite sure hadn't been there before.

Naruto didn't realize he had been staring until Sasuke and Haku dragged him away from the scene towards the exit. "Zabuza, meet us outside," called Haku over his shoulder. The older man nodded just before the three teens disappeared from sight.

As they pushed their way out onto the street, Naruto asked, "Did Gaara always have fangs?" Sasuke pursed his lips and remained silent. Haku was performing a similar gesture, refusing to meet Naruto's eyes. Naruto frowned. "What's wrong guys?"

"Nothing's wrong," was Sasuke's easy dismissal. His eyes told another story though.

They stopped a fair distance away from the people queuing to enter Club Secret. Naruto looked from the face of one friend to the other and could tell that something was wrong. "Don't lie Sasuke – I can tell you're keeping something from me."

"It's not our secret to share Naruto," said Haku quietly. Sasuke sent the effeminate boy a heated look, warning him not to continue. Haku didn't say anything else.

Naruto frowned. "Well whose secret is it then?"

"It's my secret."

Naruto jumped and turned quickly to see Zabuza. The man had appeared as silent as a shadow and scared the hell out of him. "Don't do that!" Naruto shouted, his cheeks tingeing pink for being scared so easily.

Zabuza chuckled lightly before turning to Sasuke. "Itachi's in room 2." Sasuke nodded in reply. He bade his friends a quick farewell and then returned to the club to meet up with his brother. When he was gone Zabuza turned to Naruto. "Listen up brat, Haku is staying at my place tonight. You can stay as well if you don't mind sleeping on the couch."

Naruto turned to Haku in surprise. "I thought you would be going back to your foster parents' place."

Haku laughed. "Naruto my foster parents don't know that I go clubbing on a Friday night! They think I'm going to stay at Sasuke's house and Sasuke's parents think he's staying at mine. Iruka isn't the only one who would refuse to let their kid out of the house if they knew they were going to go out clubbing if they did."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, feeling foolish for not realizing this in the first place. He knew that Sasuke's parents were strict and that Haku's foster parents were over-protective – he should have guessed that they pulled the same trick as him and said they were going to a friend's house when they were really going out.

"Sorry about that, I was guess I was being naïve."

"You certainly were," said Zabuza with a smirk. Before Naruto could reply to this, the older man interjected with, "So do you want to stay at my place or not?"

"Yes please," said Naruto quickly.

"Let's go then," said Zabuza as he began to walk down the street.

As the two teens rushed to keep up with his brisk pace, Zabuza released a silent sigh of relief. He had managed to distract Naruto and make him forget about his burning question. The clandestine of Club Secret had not been revealed. Not yet anyway.

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Please Review! 


	2. Chapter 2

First off I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed last chapter. All the positive comments I received made me eager to write this next chapter when really I should have been revising. Oops.

Anyway, this chapter is more explaining background than action but next chapter will definitely have Gaanaru action in it, I promise. Hopefully it will be a good New Year's present for you all :)

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**Chapter 2**

Once the three younger teens had left their sight Zabuza and Itachi dragged Gaara into one of the club's back rooms. Gaara had calmed down by this point and sat in one of the room's comfy chairs without needing to be forced. Seeing that he was willing to co-operate, Zabuza decided it would be alright to let Itachi handle Gaara on his own. He said his goodbyes to the two then departed to find Haku.

The walls of the backrooms were all padded to make sure that if its occupants desired some peace and privacy that would be what they received. When Zabuza closed the door behind him the room became wrapped in absolute silence. Itachi remained standing, his piercing gaze aimed directly at Gaara. The redhead returned the unwavering gaze, his arms crossed over his chest defiantly.

Eventually, Itachi spoke. "You shouldn't have done it." Gaara made no move to acknowledge he'd heard the raven haired man. Itachi released a minute sigh. "What happened Gaara?"

"I got angry."

"I gathered that," said Itachi dryly. "What I want to know is what, exactly, made you angry enough to bite the boy and risk exposing yourself."

"_He_made me angry," Gaara said as he turned to glare at the wall. "That boy is so…infuriating and confusing."

"Go on," Itachi prompted.

"He has such a fiery spirit; he's honest, accepting and fearless. He was willing to let those who tried to hurt him go free, yet he remained angry with me for only sharing one dance with him. He seemed attracted to me and yet he refused to let me kiss him. I wanted so badly to touch him but he wouldn't let me so I bit him." Gaara's eyes glazed over slightly as he remembered the moment. "His blood tasted so good."

It was at that moment that Sasuke walked in. He quickly took in the scene: Itachi was smirking and Gaara was looking defensive, as if Sasuke had walked in on something very private. After spending so much time with Itachi Sasuke knew better than to skirt around important questions and so outright asked Gaara what was on his mind. "Why did you bite Naruto?"

Gaara didn't look like he was going to answer so Itachi did it for him. "Gaara likes your friend and got frustrated when he didn't receive the same sentiments."

Gaara sent the man a dark glare whilst the youngest Uchiha raised an amused eyebrow. "So that's what the problem is."

"Yes, and now we need to work out a plan to solve it," Itachi said with a hint of thoughtfulness.

"Well for starters Gaara's going to have to apologize to Naruto."

Gaara glared at Sasuke. "I don't apologize to anyone," he hissed venomously. "And this has nothing to do with you so back off."

Sasuke returned his glare. "Naruto is my friend and I'm not going to allow you to fuck around with him. If you're serious about hooking up with him then I'll help you since I know Naruto doesn't need a crazy vampire stalker in his life right now. If you're not serious then you're the one who better back off because nobody messes with my friends."

Gaara growled threateningly and made to stand but Itachi placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. Gaara turned his glare on the oldest Uchiha brother. "Tell your Partner not to make threats he can't carry through."

Itachi held his gaze as he said, "Who says he can't keep them? I care nothing for Sasuke's friend but if my little brother asked me to stop you then I would."

Gaara turned away. He remembered the last time he had fought Itachi with a grimace. It had been a long battle that he had not won or come anywhere near to winning. It seemed he'd have to tolerate whatever the insolent human had in store for him as he wasn't ready to come to blows with the eldest Uchiha again just yet.

Sasuke noticed the look of resignation on Gaara's face and smirked. "Haku and I will be back with Naruto on Friday. Be ready to apologize to Naruto then. I'll get Haku to soften him up before then for you so that he'll be in a forgiving mood. After that it's up to you and you better not screw it up because I am not dealing with a bawling Naruto."

"Whatever," muttered Gaara resentfully. "Can I go now?"

"Yes," answered Itachi. Gaara stood up but before he could leave Itachi added, "Don't try to make contact with the boy before Friday; the best place for this to be done is inside Club Secret."

"I'm not stupid; I know the code," hissed Gaara.

Itachi remained silent. Gaara turned on his heel and strode out of the room into the chaos of the dance floor. His senses were immediately flooded by the pounding beat of the music and the strobe lighting. Gaara had no desire to dance though so he headed back up to the balcony to get a drink. After the night he'd had he was sure he deserved it. Memories of the beautiful blond boy struggling beneath him reared their ugly heads and made his heart stop for a second. The vampire quickly shook his head to brush away the unwanted thoughts and hurried on his way. Better make that drink a double.

* * *

It was the smell of frying bacon that awakened Naruto. Yawning, he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He then kicked the blanket off him and stretched out his aching muscles, wincing slightly as he stretched his neck to the side. After that all that was left was for Naruto to follow his nose into the kitchen.

Haku smiled at Naruto from his place by the stove. "Sleep well?" he queried.

"As well as you can when you're sleeping on the couch," Naruto replied still half asleep.

Haku nodded as he moved to get plates. "Bacon sandwich?"

"Please," muttered Naruto as he moved to get the bread.

Together the two boys made breakfast and sat down together at the table to eat it. They talked in hushed tones as Zabuza was still sleeping in bed. Naruto teased Haku about wearing the older man out, saying he should have known the seemingly gentle teen would be a harsh seme. Haku had blushed and hurriedly informed Naruto that even if he had shared a bed with Zabuza that didn't that they had had sex. He then added that Zabuza always slept for most of the day as he had late hours at work. Haku neglected to elaborate on the seme comment but Naruto decided to let that one pass.

"Why are all the windows covered up?" Naruto asked instead as he looked towards the kitchen window that was completely covered by cardboard.

"Zabuza doesn't like the daylight – he has some sort of medical condition that makes his skin react badly if he stands in direct sunlight."

"Poor guy," sympathised Naruto before gulping down his orange juice.

Haku nodded before turning his attention to his watch. "What time did you say you would be home by?"

"Around lunchtime. Why?"

"It's getting near to lunchtime now. When you're finished eating grab your things and we'll go."

"You're heading home too?"

"I told my parents I'd be back around lunchtime as well; if I'm not there by one they'll call the National Guard."

Naruto laughed. "Iruka's the same – I'm one minute late and he goes on at me about worrying him into an early grave."

Haku cleared up the breakfast things and placed them in the dishwasher. The two teens then made their way out of Zabuza's apartment, twisting through a few side alleys before they reached the main road. They then followed the road to the bus station where they caught the same bus as both teens lived in the same direction, Naruto just got off a few stops earlier than Haku.

After an uneventful bus journey Naruto wished his friend goodbye. It took him an extra ten minutes to get to the apartment where he lived with Iruka but when he did arrive he was met with Iruka's smiling face. "Naruto, how was your sleep-over at Sasuke's?"

"It was alright, Sasuke's parents caught us trying to watch an 18 so we ended up watching some kiddie movie but apart from that everything went well," Naruto lied easily.

"I'm glad to hear it. I've already eaten lunch but if you want something there's instant ramen in the cupboard."

"Ramen!" Naruto cried as he eagerly ran into the kitchen.

Iruka shook his head and laughed before sitting on the sofa to watch TV. Meanwhile Naruto was busy making and devouring his ramen. As he slurped up the noodles he made his way over to the laptop and logged onto MSN. He didn't think Haku would be online just yet but perhaps Sasuke was. Much to Naruto's disappointment, he wasn't. Setting the laptop down Naruto finished his ramen whilst watching TV with Iruka.

Ten or so minutes later the computer pinged twice. Naruto immediately pulled it back into his lap and grinned when he saw that both Sasuke and Haku had logged on. He immediately sent a message saying "_Hi_." A few seconds later two similar messages appeared before him. Naruto continued grinning as he typed. _"Did you sleep well last night Sasuke? Did you even sleep at all?"_

"_None of your business Naruto."_

"_That's a yes then."_

"_Don't be mean Naruto," _chided Haku.

"_I'm not being mean, just establishing facts."_

"_Moving swiftly on," _interrupted Sasuke, _"There's something important Haku and I need to discuss with you Naruto. I'd do it now but my parents want to show me off to their friends. We'll meet you at your place at 1pm tomorrow alright?"_

"_Alright, but what do you need to talk about?"_

"_Tell you tomorrow," _was all Sasuke said before he signed off.

Haku sent him a smiley before also signing off. Naruto was left glowering at his computer screen. He hated it when his friends became cryptic. He wasn't very good at reading between the lines and it was things like that that made him feel left out of the loop.

Sighing Naruto closed his laptop, setting it aside so that he could fully concentrate on the TV. Reruns of some of his favourite shows were starting and he didn't want to miss them. It was the ideal way to while away the hours until his friends explained to him what the hell was going on.

* * *

Naruto was playing games on his laptop when the doorbell rang. He immediately closed down the game and rushed to open the door. Iruka beat him to it though; the older male had already ushered Haku and Sasuke in by the time Naruto arrived. They exchanged quick greetings before being ferried into Naruto's room. As soon as the door was closed Naruto asked, "So what was so important that it couldn't be said over the phone?"

Sasuke picked up the clothes Naruto had draped over his swivel chair and dropped them on the floor. He seated himself on the vacant chair while Haku flopped on the unmade bed. Sasuke drew out the suspense for as long as possible, poking at the things strewn across Naruto's desk, before finally answering. "It's about what happened on Friday night."

Naruto's shoulders slumped. "Look I'm sorry I got into a fight and ruined it for you guys. If you don't want me to come with you again I'll understand. I mean, it's the only time you get to meet your boyfriends and I must just be a third wheel so I guess it's best if I just stay home."

"That wasn't what we were going to say Naruto," said Haku sweetly.

Naruto blinked in surprise. "It wasn't?"

Haku nodded. "We were actually wondering if you wanted to come with us again on Friday."

A brilliant smile spread across Naruto's face. "Of course I want to come! I had a great time Friday night! Well, except for when I was attacked and sexually assaulted. Apart from that I had a great time though!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto really was an idiot sometimes. "Before you make up your mind there is something you really should know about Club Secret."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in interest. "What's that then?"

Haku and Sasuke shared a glance. Haku gave Sasuke a look that clearly told him he was the one giving Naruto the information he needed. Sasuke sighed before returning his gaze to his blond friend. "The VIPs of Club Secret: Itachi, Zabuza, Gaara – they're all vampires."

Naruto looked at Sasuke like he was crazy. Then he laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

"Stop laughing I'm being serious!"

Naruto eventually managed to stem his raucous laughter. Gripping his sides (which hurt from laughing so much) he replied, "Sasuke I'm not stupid; I know that vampires don't exist."

"Naruto, Sasuke's being serious – vampires really do exist."

Naruto looked between his friends, waiting for them to suddenly change their tune and say that they were joking. Their faces were both deadly serious though. Naruto stopped grinning as the thought that they weren't joking crossed his mind. "You're not joking."

"No Naruto, we're not," clarified Sasuke.

Naruto stood dazed for a moment, trying to take this new information in. The myths and legends of vampires were supposed to be just that – stories that could be made into good horror films. They weren't though, apparently they were real.

As he continued to think about vampires Naruto remembered that Gaara had bitten him. His hand immediately snapped up to the place on his neck where the fangs had pierced his skin.

"It's alright Naruto, Gaara didn't turn you into a vampire," Haku was quick to reassure.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, his hand dropping back to his side. "So the psycho bit me because he wanted to drink my blood?"

"Actually I think he was just frustrated with you," answered Sasuke.

"Frustrated with me?"

"You weren't quaking in fear before him," replied Haku. "Gaara likes people to be scared of him because it gives him control over the situation. You weren't acting scared so he got angry because he wasn't in control."

"Well that bastard better get use to it because I'm not scared of anyone!" scoffed Naruto arrogantly.

"Not even a bloodsucker that's twice as strong as you?" questioned Sasuke with a small smirk.

"Nope!" There was a moment of quiet before Naruto asked, "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"Gaara's going to be at Club Secret on Friday and I've told him that he needs to apologize to you." Naruto was about to say something but Sasuke cut him off. "Please accept his apology and don't laud the fact over him or he might just kill you. Gaara doesn't usually apologize but he's making a special exception for you."

"And why's that?"

"From what Itachi tells me he's got it bad for you."

Naruto didn't look like he believed it. "He told me that I intrigued him. I think if he really liked me he'd be a little bit more than intrigued."

"But Naruto, to Gaara most humans don't even appear on his radar!" protested Haku. "Sasuke and I sit with him every Friday night and to him we're little more than annoyances. Gaara being intrigued by you is good!"

"Besides, why would he sexually assault you if he didn't want you?" posed Sasuke.

Naruto tipped his head to the side thoughtfully. Maybe his friends were right. Gaara had seemed pretty interested in him when he had pinned him to the wall. And when those thugs had attacked him the redhead had been positively livid. Perhaps Gaara did like him after all.

"So what if he likes me, that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive him for biting me."

Sasuke sighed wearily. "Naruto, Gaara is a vampire; he doesn't play by the same rules as you or I. I've heard enough stories to know that if a vampire likes you it's best to just accept it. Unless you'd like a stalker who comes into your bedroom at night, rapes you and leaves you with no memory of the incident."

Naruto paled slightly. "You think he would do that?"

"Truthfully? I don't know what Gaara is capable of," said Sasuke seriously.

"If you turn him down he might forget about it but if you piss him off he could make your life a living nightmare. I really do think you should give him a chance. Then you can let him down gently and beg Zabuza to make sure he doesn't try anything funny," added Haku.

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about the whole thing. It wouldn't hurt to give Gaara a chance to redeem himself. Naruto couldn't deny that the guy was hot or that he had previously liked him. Perhaps he could even con him into taking him out for ramen as a way of properly apologizing. "Alright I give him a chance." Haku gave a little cheer while Sasuke merely nodded. Naruto leaned back against the wall and continued. "Are there any other surprises you want to spring on me?"

"No, that's all the surprises for today," replied Haku cheerfully.

"In that case will you tell me more about vampires? Do they really turn to dust in the sun? Is it true they only die if you put a stake through their heart? What cool powers do they have?" asked Naruto eagerly.

"They don't turn to dust in sunlight but the light does burn them so they avoid it," answered Sasuke. "The whole stake thing is a myth. You can kill a vampire the same way you can kill a human – with a gun. It's just hard to do because they're so fast."

"And strong," added Haku. "They can also erase memories. Those are their main powers; if they have others they're probably restricted from using them by the code."

"Code?"

"Vampires have their own laws to ensure that they remain a secret to human society."

"What's the punishment for breaking these laws?"

Haku shrugged. "Depends on the offence. The only punishment I've heard of is death but I'm sure there are less severe sentences that are handed down. Zabuza's never broken the code (as far as I'm aware) so I have no idea what happens if you do."

Naruto nodded. He was then struck by a very bizarre thought that made him ask the question, "Are vampires dead?"

Haku frowned as he answered. "In a sense. To become a vampire you have to have most of your blood drained from your body and then drink the blood of a vampire. Why?"

"Just thinking that if you guys slept with your boyfriends who are vampires and vampires are dead then that would mean-"

"Naruto, I am not a necrophiliac," said Sasuke sternly in a way that brooked no argument.

"Naruto!" cried Haku, horrified. "You have such a dirty, twisted mind!"

"No wonder Gaara likes him," muttered Sasuke under his breath.

Naruto, who had been laughing sheepishly, suddenly froze and stared at Sasuke. "What?"

"You're both twisted bastards – you belong together," answered Sasuke with an imperial smirk.

"You ass; I am nothing like that guy!" cried Naruto indignantly. Sasuke's reply was to continue smirking. Naruto turned away from the raven haired teen and hissed, "Jerk," under his breath.

Haku giggled before looking down at his watch. "Sorry guys but I've got to go. I'll see you both tomorrow at school."

"I've got to go too," said Sasuke as he rose from his seat.

"Alright, see you tomorrow," said Naruto as he waved goodbye to his friends.

Once the two dark haired teens had left Naruto flopped down onto his bed and stared absently at the ceiling. So vampires really did exist huh? Most people would need more than their friend's word to believe something as preposterous as this but Naruto trusted his friends not to joke around with him like that. Besides, Sasuke wouldn't know a joke if it danced naked in front of him singing the Barbie song.

In some odd way the whole thing actually made sense. Naruto had known that there was something different about those three when he'd met them. Something in the back of his mind had nagged him to be careful but he had ignored it. Maybe next time he should listen to his instincts.

It was Naruto's instincts that had drawn him towards Gaara. Actually it was more his teenage hormones than his instincts but whatever, it still amounted to the same thing. Naruto could still see those piercing green eyes studying him intently. He'd loved the fact that the redhead was paying attention to him and probably would have done anything if Gaara had only asked. It seemed Gaara wasn't the asking type though; he was more of a cryptic messages type. Technically that wasn't a good match for Naruto who wasn't very good at deciphering hidden messages. Still, there was something about Gaara that intrigued Naruto and made him willing to give the psycho bastard another chance.

Naruto chuckled to himself. He'd got pissed when Gaara said he was intriguing and now he was thinking of the redhead as intriguing. What a cruel, ironic twist. Perhaps Gaara wasn't the only one who needed to apologize after all.

* * *

Please Review! 


	3. Chapter 3

Happy New Year everyone! Managed to finish this earlier than I thought I would and even made it longer than the first chapter. Go me! Seriously though, I've had trouble with getting my characters to stay in-character and so am not 100 happy with this chapter. If you think they're out of character do tell and I'll try and right it in the next chapter. And as for ItaSasu scenes...I'll see if I can give them love somewhere in the story. **  
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* * *

**Chapter 3**

This Friday, as the three friends approached Club Secret, Naruto was a lot more sober. His gaze slowly drifted from person to person. How many of these seemingly normal strangers were vampires? According to Haku Club Secret was a gathering place for vampires so it must have been a very large percentage.

Over the past week Naruto had had a lot of time to dwell on the things his friends had told him. It all still seemed surreal and the blond half expected his friends to turn around at any moment and say, "Just joking!"

It wasn't a joke though and because of that Naruto had slowly begun to wonder about how much he really knew about life. It was, after all, kind of scary to know that at that very moment a vampire could be watching him and deciding whether he should be its next meal.

However, it was not in Naruto's nature to show he was afraid. When he met up again with the VIP vampire trio he would not show any fear; he would not be intimidated by the fact that they were all stronger than him. If any of them tried to mess with him he'd kick their asses. Yes, he'd show them not to underestimate Uzumaki Naruto!

Sasuke showed the bouncer his pass and the three friends entered the club. They climbed the stairs to the balcony and immediately spotted the three vampires. Two of said vampires appeared to be in a good mood (though it was hard to tell when Itachi appeared bored even when he was enjoying himself) while the third was glaring at his drink as if it had committed a heinous insult against him.

Haku took the lead and easily slid himself onto Zabuza's lap. The two shared a small greeting kiss while the Uchiha brothers swapped icy greetings before starting to make-out. Naruto hung back, feeling awkward and out of place. He glanced over at Gaara but the redhead was pointedly ignoring him and everything else around him. Typical.

Once the greetings were over Itachi turned his gaze on Gaara. "Don't you have something to say?"

Gaara gave him a murderous glare. He downed the contents of his glass before getting up and moving to stand in front of Naruto. For a moment there was silence. Then Gaara turned to his 'friends' who were watching him avidly and hissed, "Piss off." With an almost collective roll of the eyes the others turned their backs to him and Haku initiated a conversation about what had happened at school that week. Still, they were all on high alert in case Gaara (or Naruto) said or did something stupid.

Realizing that this was the most privacy he would be allowed Gaara sighed and agitatedly ran a hand through his hair. Naruto waited impatiently for him to say something. It was obvious Gaara was reluctant to go through with this and it made Naruto wonder if it was really worth it. An empty apology amounted to nothing after all. "Look, I know Sasuke's making you apologize to me-"

"That little human isn't making me do anything," interrupted Gaara.

Naruto ignored him. "But if you don't really mean it there's no point in saying it. So just save us both some hassle by telling me right now if you regret biting and molesting me."

"I don't regret either of those things."

Gaara's reply was solemn and Naruto knew he was speaking truthfully. The blond teen nodded and headed over to the others, feeling slightly dejected as he moved. Naruto was stopped however when Gaara grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him back towards him. Naruto stared in surprise up into those burning green eyes and saw…something flicker in those deep, drowning pools.

"I don't regret those things but I do regret the way you reacted to them. You thought I had slighted you when I would only dance with you once, correct? I did not mean to, I thought you would understand that I was keeping to my word. I…You interest me greatly Naruto. It has been a long time since I have felt attracted to anyone, especially a human. I only wanted to show my attraction to you but perhaps I went about it in the wrong way. You are very tempting, Naruto, it is hard for me to keep my hands off you."

Gaara's lips twitched into a leer. It disappeared when Naruto began to laugh, being replaced by a confused frown. "That was the worst apology ever," Naruto said as his laughter started to die down. "Apology accepted anyway. You now have permission to try and woo me again." With that Naruto leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on Gaara's lips.

Gaara stared at him in bewilderment. This boy truly was confusing and amazing. "How can you accept me so easily?"

Naruto grinned cheekily as he replied, "It's alright, I know already that I'm too sexy to resist. How can I stay mad at you for acknowledging the fact that I'm a sex god? However, if you want me to forgive you even more you can buy me a drink and later (if you're a good little vampire) I'll let you dance with me."

Before Gaara could reply Naruto skipped back to the others, grinning widely to himself. Gaara watched him and wondered if he was swaying his hips like that to tease him. That boy really was something else.

Naruto alighted at the bar between Sasuke and Haku. He waved to get the bartenders attention and ordered a Pepsi. The others looked at him expectantly. "So how did it go?" asked Haku, his voiced tinged with excitement.

Naruto winked at him but said nothing. The bartender placed the drink in front of him and recited the price. To the man's amazement Gaara appeared behind the blond boy and said, "Put his drink on my tab. And get me another of the usual."

As the bartender hurried to get Gaara's drink, Naruto turned to Haku and said, "That's how it went," before taking his drink to sit on the stool between Zabuza and Gaara.

The others stared at Gaara while the redhead pointedly pretended they didn't exist. Gaara had never bought any of them drinks and they were considered his closest friends; he must really like Naruto.

Said blond sipped his Pepsi with a wide grin planted on his face. He wondered absently if he could get Gaara to buy him drinks for the rest of the evening but decided not to push his luck. It really wasn't right to take advantage of someone, even if they did deserve a certain amount of payback.

Meanwhile, Gaara was wondering exactly how far Naruto was willing to let him go. The blond had said that he didn't mind Gaara making a move on him but did he mean that he didn't mind Gaara asking him on a data or did he mean that the vampire could ravish him at will? Something told Gaara it was the former, yet the blond human had so obviously flirted with him that it could quite possibly be that he was inviting Gaara to do with him as he wished.

The redhead sighed inwardly. Humans were so confusing. And fragile. They were both weaker and less resilient than vampires. If Gaara wasn't careful he'd end up hurting Naruto and breaking the fragile bond that existed between them.

Gaara was interrupted from his musings by Naruto's penetrating voice. "So, what do you all usually talk about?"

"Politics, books, work, the news…" reeled off Haku.

"Sex," added Zabuza with a lecherous grin.

"The first ones sound boring, the last one sounds scary," said Naruto as he carefully eyed his friends.

"So it's alright for you to tease us about our sex lives but it's not okay for us to brag?" sneered Sasuke.

"That's right," confirmed Naruto.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine, but that means you can't brag either."

"Fair enough," shrugged Naruto as he took another swig of his drink. As he did a couple walked behind him. He felt more than saw the gazes that were aimed at his back. Placing his drink back onto the bar, Naruto asked, "Are all the VIPs of Club Secret vampires?"

"Yes," answered Zabuza. "The club was founded by vampires as a place to gather as well as hunt."

"Hunt?" queried Naruto.

"Most of the people down there," Zabuza said, jerking his thumb behind him to indicate those on the dance floor below, "are regular humans. They have no idea that the person they're dancing with is a vampire who's waiting to lead them to a dark corner so that they can drink their blood."

Naruto frowned at this. "Why do you call it a hunt? You make it seem as if humans are no better than animals."

"It's just vampire terminology Naruto," Haku was quick to reassure. "Zabuza isn't trying to be offensive – it's just that there really is no better word to describe how vampires get their blood."

"It is also reminiscent of the days when humans were not confined in cities and instead were very spread out in villages and hamlets. Back then it was much more of a hunt than a simple detour of the victim," added Gaara in that cool, emotionless voice of his.

"I'm glad I wasn't alive back then in that case," Naruto said as he suppressed a shiver. "By the way, how did these vampire dudes get enough money to open a club like this?"

"They had jobs like everyone else, idiot," said Sasuke with a roll of his eyes.

Naruto shot him a dirty look. "But what job can you do at night besides working in a 24 hour supermarket?"

"I'm a salesman for a large company that does a lot of trading with countries on the other side of the globe. Since they're in a different time zone it's more convenient for them to call late at night and I'm the one there who they speak to," answered Zabuza. "Itachi works for a publishing firm editing manuscripts. They don't care whether he works at night or during the day as long as he reaches his deadlines. Gaara works in the law department of some firm. Again, they don't care when he does the work as long as the deadlines are met."

Naruto turned to Gaara. "You work in law? Isn't that really boring?"

"Sometimes," answered Gaara mildly.

"I bet it pays well though so that kind of makes up for it," mused Naruto.

Sasuke smirked. "First date and the idiot's already feeling up his boyfriend's wallet."

"Piss off Sasuke," growled Naruto. "Besides, it's hardly a date with you guys hanging around insulting me."

"Nobody's forcing you to stay with us Naruto. If you and Gaara need some alone time you're more than welcome to leave," said Sasuke, continuing to smirk superiorly.

"Your lips say we can go but your brother's eyes say you'll be watching us carefully if we do," Gaara said coldly, his gaze locked with Itachi's.

"Fine, then don't go."

There was a brief silence between them before Haku started a conversation about Zabuza's latest client – a much less controversial topic than the group's trust in Gaara and Naruto's ability to get along without there being bloodshed. Such a conversation was reasonably interesting for those who knew about this client from Zabuza's past stories about his idiocy. For Naruto though it was infinitely boring as he had not been present for the telling of these antidotes. To pass the time the blond tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. It was quite a nice ceiling, though the ones at school were more interesting as they had acquired gum and other such misplaced items over the years.

A new song was broadcast over the loudspeakers that Naruto recognized. He let the beat wash over him and drown out the chatter to his left. His foot and fingers began to tap out the rhythm of the song as his lips formed the words he'd been hearing on the radio for the past two weeks.

"You like this song?"

The sultry voice snapped Naruto back to reality. Gaara was staring at him with those penetrating green eyes that seemed to be drinking in everything that was Naruto all at once. Naruto smiled at the redhead and replied, "Sort of, I've heard it loads of times and it's just sort of got stuck in my head."

Gaara nodded in understanding. He seemed to consider his next words carefully. "If you wished we could dance to this song."

Naruto's grin grew. At that moment Gaara sounded very awkward and shy and it was extremely adorable. Of course he was still giving off 'I'm-a-sexy-badass-don't-mess-with-me' vibes but the cute vibes were louder than those. Naruto wasn't going to tell Gaara this though since he was pretty sure he'd get punched or at the very least glared at for calling the redhead cute. "It's alright, by the time we get down there the song will probably have ended."

"Very well."

Gaara sounded both relieved and disappointed that his proposal had been shot down. Naruto decided to take pity on him and took hold of Gaara's hand. The redheaded vampire stared down at their interlaced fingers in perplexed shock. Naruto felt like laughing at the very un-badass expression that currently occupied Gaara's features.

After a few seconds of confusion Gaara relaxed. He gently squeezed the hand that held his, not too surprised when the hand squeezed back. He looked at Naruto and saw the jubilant grin on the boy's lips. Gaara felt warmth materialize in his chest at the sight of that smile. It was so beautiful, Naruto was beautiful, and Gaara wanted to claim both as his own. If Naruto gave anybody else that smile the red haired vampire would rip out the heart of the receiver and eat it before their eyes before they died then feast upon the blood that would ooze from the corpse. This might have been a tad of an overreaction but Naruto belonged to Gaara and _nobody_ else could have him. Hopefully Naruto knew this as well or there would be a hell of a lot of bloodshed in the near future.

Meanwhile, Naruto was beginning to get slightly freaked out. Gaara had been staring at him for over a minute without blinking. There was a possessive, almost feral look in his eyes that made Naruto wonder what he was thinking about. Then again, maybe he was better off not knowing. Knowing Gaara it would probably be something that would give him nightmares.

Deciding to snap Gaara out of his trance, Naruto waved his free hand in-front of the vampire's face. Gaara blinked and his eyes became more focused. "Yes?" he questioned coolly.

"Just wondered if you were still with me or if you were cheating with another hot blond in your head," said Naruto casually.

Gaara's face was suddenly right in-front of Naruto's. The blond jumped, surprised that Gaara could move that fast. Their hands were no longer interlinked, instead Gaara was using them to stop Naruto falling off the back of his stool. The blond stared silently into intense mint green pools as he felt Gaara's breath ghost against his lips. "I would never cheat on you."

Suddenly Naruto's lips were being smothered by the incredibly sexy vampire. The passion behind the kiss was evident and it made Naruto melt. Smouldering green eyes were still locked on his own as Gaara's tongue pressed against the opening of Naruto's mouth.

Naruto felt like he should resist this very forward advance. Gaara was invading his personal space without permission and sexually harassing him; he was not respecting Naruto's rights. Then again, Gaara's mouth was so insistent and the kiss felt so _good_that Naruto really didn't feel like resisting. With a groan of both defeat and pleasure, Naruto threw his arms around Gaara's neck, his eyes slipping shut as he allowed the vampire to have his way with him.

After a few minutes of intense tongue battling Gaara pulled back to allow Naruto to breathe. The blond teen's head fell forward to rest on Gaara's shoulder as his chest heaved. That had been utterly exhilarating. It wasn't his first kiss or anything – Naruto had kissed plenty of girls and boys in his past – but they had been more experimental with lots of teeth clashing and nose bumping. True, during his kiss with Gaara their teeth had knocked together a few times but it had only been a minor thing. This kiss had been full of raw emotion, something Naruto had never encountered before. And he had loved it.

"In most cultures it's considered impolite to make-out when someone's trying to tell a story."

Naruto looked to his left at the sound of the stern but amused voice. All of Naruto's friends were looking at him with equal amounts of mirth. Or, more correctly, they were staring at the position he was in.

Turning back to look at Gaara, Naruto noticed that the redhead had slipped off his stool during the kiss and was now standing right between his legs. Naruto flushed crimson as the realisation hit him. He tried to nudge Gaara back onto his stool but the redhead wasn't having any of it. Now that he had the pretty blond boy in his grasp there was no way that he was letting him go.

Gaara yanked Naruto to his feet, their bodies pressed against each other as Gaara spun around and took Naruto's seat. The redhead then placed Naruto on his lap, his arms wrapping securely around the slim waist. Naruto wriggled a bit, not exactly comfortable with this new position. The arms around his waist tightened and a voice hissed in his ear, "Don't do that."

Naruto stopped wriggling and Gaara released a sigh of relief. The vampire didn't think he would have been able to stop himself from ravishing Naruto if the blond had continued to rub his adorable little rear over _that_ part of Gaara's anatomy.

Seeing that Gaara wasn't going to release his hold on him, Naruto turned to the others and smiled sheepishly. Haku returned the smile before gingerly climbing onto Zabuza's lap. The older man smirked, his arms circling Haku's waist as he planted small kisses on the nape of the boy's neck to make him giggle. Since Haku's seat was now vacant Itachi and Sasuke moved to reduce the gap between them and the others. So as not to be the odd ones out Sasuke slipped casually onto his brothers lap; drink in hand and acting as if this was the most normal thing in the world to do.

Naruto smiled to himself. He really did have great friends. And, apparently, he now also had a great boyfriend. Naruto decided to test out this theory by turning towards the redhead and asking, "Gaara, can I try your drink?"

"It's too strong for you," was the curt reply.

Naruto took offence at this. "Are you saying I can't handle it?"

"Yes."

Haku groaned in despair as a look of determination appeared on Naruto's face. This would not end well. Whenever that look appeared it meant Naruto was going to prove you wrong or die trying. Usually a miracle would occur and Naruto would come out on top but something told Haku that this would not be one of those times.

Naruto picked up Gaara's glass and brought it to his lips, adamant that he would not fail in his mission. He allowed a small amount of liquid to trickle down his throat and immediately began to cough. It felt like his throat was on fire. His eyes watered in pain as he tried desperately to breathe. "It's like swallowing acid!"

"I told you it was too strong for you," Gaara said as he carefully prised the glass from Naruto's grasp. He then gulped down what was left in the glass, only just managing to refrain from smirking at the look of shock on Naruto's face.

"How the hell can you do that without feeling like your throat's on fire?!" asked a bemused Naruto.

"Years of practice," was Gaara's amused answer.

"But you're not that much older than me! Did you start drinking when you were ten or something?"

Gaara raised a curious eyebrow. "I'm actually a lot older than you. Did your friends not tell you that vampires never age?"

"No, they didn't," said Naruto, shooting an accusing glare at Haku and Sasuke.

"That is the reason vampires are not allowed to sire anyone under the age of eighteen; it would cause too many secrecy problems if a child was made a vampire. They would not be able to disappear from society without it being noticed like adults can."

"Oh. Well if that's the case then how old are you really?"

Instead of answering the question Gaara motioned for the bartender to get Naruto and himself another drink. Naruto was slightly miffed that his question was being disregarded but summarised that Gaara had his reasons. Perhaps he was really old – older even than Iruka! – and thought that Naruto would be freaked out if he told him his real age and wouldn't want to be with him. Which was fair enough seeing as Naruto was still considered a minor in modern law.

As Naruto finished off his old drink a few things began to slip into place. He'd known Sasuke ever since they were kids as they'd gone to the same junior school. Sasuke had always idolised his brother, wanting to be just like him, and had regurgitated many tales about Itachi to impress Naruto.

A few years ago Itachi had fallen out with his parents and they'd kicked him out of the house when he was eighteen. Sasuke hadn't told him the reason but Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that it was because Itachi had become a vampire. Naruto had met Sasuke's parents a few times and knew that his dad in particular hated anything that was 'not normal'. Having one of his sons being turned into a vampire definitely would not have pleased the head of the Uchiha household.

Although Itachi had been banished from the Uchiha household he had still visited Sasuke to make sure his little brother was alright. In the stories of their time together Sasuke had always made it seem that Itachi was still eighteen even though quite a few years had passed. Now Naruto understood the reason why that was.

The rest of the evening was spent talking, drinking and making-out. At one point Naruto convinced Gaara to dance with him and they had headed to the floor with Haku and Zabuza, who had also decided to dance. Once again Naruto had been swept away by the music and the feel of Gaara's body pressed against him. The redhead had learned his lesson from last time and stayed with Naruto until the boy seemed ready to collapse. Not that the vampire had really minded doing so as when they were dancing Naruto allowed him to kiss and touch him, something that Gaara had wanted to do all night.

They had then headed back upstairs for a well deserved drink and sit-down. When they had arrived they found Sasuke sitting on Itachi's lap with his legs surrounding his brother's waist. Naruto had looked away before he had discovered what exactly the two were doing to each other to make them both produce such lustful noises. He was sure he didn't want to know what could possibly make the stoic Uchiha brothers sound so passionate.

Haku and Zabuza were also kissing at the bar but in a much more coy way. Naruto could see them teasing each other with touches that were intimate but not as intimate as they wanted them to be. He was pretty sure that when they got back to Zabuza's apartment they would be as intimate as they pleased.

When Naruto began to yawn they all knew that it was time to go home. Zabuza offered the use of his couch again to Naruto while Gaara offered his bed. Usually the choice would be an easy one to make: a nice soft bed beat a not-so-soft couch any day. But then the bed being offered was Gaara's and Naruto wasn't too sure that he should accept the offer. After all, he didn't do sex on the first date. Naruto told Gaara this and the redhead was expressionless when he replied, "I'm not asking for sex, I'm asking if you want to stay with me tonight."

Naruto's gaze had flickered towards his friends. Haku had smiled at him and Sasuke had ignored him. If the Uchiha didn't think he was being an idiot accepting Gaara's offer then he was probably doing the right thing. Naruto had waved goodbye to his friends before taking Gaara's hand and letting the vampire lead the way to his apartment.

Naruto hadn't really known what to expect of Gaara's apartment. It was a short walk from the club to there – still in the centre of the city but away from the noise of the clubs. From the outside it looked like any other flat and could very possibly have been no bigger than a closet.

It was much bigger than a closet though. As soon as Gaara switched on the light Naruto's jaw dropped. The place was a one bed-roomed apartment with kitchen, living room, dinning room and a huge bathroom. It was much bigger than the apartment Naruto lived in with Iruka which had two bedrooms. The place screamed that Gaara lived there as the windows were covered to keep out the sunlight by cardboard and posters of gothic bands. The furniture was all black and the walls were painted a deep burgundy colour. It was very tidy; there wasn't a speck of dust in sight. That was probably the only thing that stopped the apartment being a scaled down vampire's castle from a horror film. Naruto mentioned this and Gaara snorted in amusement.

"Have you brought anything to wear to bed?" questioned Gaara as he riffled through his chest of draws.

"Not really," said Naruto as he stared down at his clothes. He didn't think wearing his jeans to bed would be too comfortable, ditto his shirt. Naruto didn't really want to strut around Gaara's apartment in his underwear though and so was left with a major dilemma as to what to do.

Gaara solved the problem by throwing him a pair of jogging bottoms and a loose, overlarge shirt. "Go change in the bathroom. I've got a new toothbrush in the cabinet under the sink you can use."

Naruto did as he was ordered, finding the toothbrush easily enough. After brushing his teeth he changed into the borrowed clothes. A few minutes later he left the bathroom so that a similarly clad Gaara could use the facilities. Naruto took a hesitant seat on the large bed while he waited for the redhead, not exactly sure what he should do next.

It didn't take long for Gaara to reappear. "Do you want a drink or something to eat?" he asked.

"No thanks, I think I'll just go to bed."

Neither made a move from their positions: Naruto sitting on the bed and Gaara standing by the door. Gaara released his breath in a weary sigh. "Would you be more comfortable if I slept on the sofa?"

"No, you don't need to do that," protested Naruto, feeling bad for making Gaara give up his own bed. "It's your apartment – I'll sleep on the sofa."

Naruto stood to head out of the bedroom but Gaara blocked the way. He reached out and touched Naruto's cheek before leaning down for a kiss. Naruto was surprised by how tender the kiss was compared to the fiery, passionate ones they had shared earlier in the club.

When Gaara pulled back he whispered, "I promise not to do anything to you that you do not wish me to do. I do not want you to run from me again."

The lips descended upon his again and Naruto melted. Gaara's lips were very good at conveying how he felt. Naruto could taste the hidden lust that had been quieted for the moment by Gaara's want to make him feel safe. He wanted Naruto to want him, to need him, but at the moment the thing Gaara most wanted Naruto to do was _trust_him. It proved quite nicely that Gaara did have a good side, even if he wasn't one for showing it.

The two parted and Naruto smiled. He climbed into the bed covered by a thick black duvet and motioned for Gaara to join him. The redheaded vampire quickly turned off the lights, plunging the apartment into darkness.

The rustling of the covers beside him told Naruto that Gaara was on the other side of the bed to him. He then felt the dip of the mattress as the redhead climbed in and made himself comfortable. Naruto half expected Gaara to grab hold of him and pull him close but he didn't. It made Naruto wonder if he'd imagined Gaara getting into bed. The blond teen sent out a probing hand that soon came into contact with Gaara's arm. Naruto ran his fingers down towards Gaara's hand, pleasantly surprised when his touch aroused goose-bumps along the arm. He found Gaara's hand and took hold of it. He gave the hand a small squeeze as he whispered, "Goodnight Gaara."

Gaara returned the squeeze in reply. Naruto smiled slightly as he released the hand. He then lay there for a moment, considering his current position in life: in bed with a vampire who surprisingly wanted to do nothing more than sleep. Naruto was quite alright with this, even if Gaara's change in attitude did confuse him slightly. For Naruto this was the first time he'd been in a relation that went beyond holding hands, stealing kisses or under the bra action (that had only happened with one girl who had promptly slapped him and pushed him into a conveniently nearby fountain. As one can imagine she was permanently struck off Naruto's Christmas card list after that).

Because of all this Naruto was naturally apprehensive about going too far too fast. This however conflicted with his view that he shouldn't act like an innocent school girl and be adamant that they waited until the wedding night for Gaara to take his precious virginity. He was a horny teenage boy after all and thoughts of sex took up a rather large percentage of his free time. But Gaara was a lot older and probably much more experienced than him. Naruto really didn't want to screw up in front of him. He didn't want Gaara to sneer at his pathetic attempts to pleasure him. The blond wanted to prove his worth to Gaara, wanted to show the vampire that he was someone worth keeping around. Because Naruto did like Gaara and his seemingly indifferent attitude. He liked the attention the redhead gave him, and he liked the way Gaara almost smiled at him and only him. It made Naruto feel special and he wanted to continue feeling special. He wanted to know more about these mysterious vampires and the even more mysterious Gaara. He didn't want the adventure which had just begun to end so soon. With that thought in mind Naruto closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Gaara remained motionless – feigning sleep – even when Naruto's breathing had long since evened out. After awhile Gaara became impatient and turned to stare at the blond. Gaara's sight was much better than a human's in the dark and he easily identified every feature on Naruto's peaceful face. Tentatively, the redhead reached out and lightly caressed the teen's cheek. Naruto mumbled something in his sleep but otherwise did not stir.

Now that he had settled down to rest Gaara no longer felt completely comfortable with the situation at hand. He didn't interact well with other people, found it hard to forge bonds or relationships with them. Gaara was fine with letting lust control his actions because there was no emotional connection in sex for the sake of sex. But holding someone close as they fall asleep was forming a bond made of the more tender emotions that Gaara was almost afraid to experience. He'd learned a long time ago that trusting someone was leaving yourself open to heartbreak and pain. If he got close to anyone he would be vulnerable and Gaara hated being vulnerable.

Usually Gaara was a very rational person. He sometimes allowed anger and lust to take over but the rest of the time he had a very firm grip on his emotions. At that moment he was having a hard time resisting the irrational urge to promise to protect Naruto from all the dangers of the world. His feelings for this boy he had known for a very short period of time were irrational. Yet, he was drawn somehow to Naruto. There was something about the blond teen that was special. Gaara didn't think he'd ever met a human like Naruto, who made him think and act irrationally. Naruto was definitely unique in that sense. And, Gaara was sure, that uniqueness was something worth protecting.

* * *

Please Review! 


	4. Chapter 4

So, chapter 4.Am not particularly fond of the middle bit of the chapter but felt it needed to be put in otherwise it would seem i was jumping about too much. I like the beginning and the end though, much more than the original. I'd like to hear your opinions on the topic too.

Oh, and Naruto is 15. Haku and Sasuke are also 15 going on 16. Gaara appears about 19. Itachi appears about 18. Zabuza appears about 23.

Happy Valentines day!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

It was dark when Naruto finally returned to consciousness. His first thought was that it was still early morning and his body had awoken him to tell him he needed to go. Slowly, he dragged himself out of bed and stumbled like a zombie towards the bathroom. On his way back to the warmth of the thick duvet Naruto noticed the clock on the wall opposite the bathroom that read 12.00. It took a few minutes for Naruto to register that he and Gaara had arrived back after midnight. That meant that it was morning. "Shit! Iruka's going to kill me!"

Naruto rushed back into the bedroom and began to hurriedly change into his clothes. It was then he remembered Gaara. Naruto was slightly surprised that his shout and rushing around hadn't woken the redhead. Cautiously, he moved towards the vampire. He leaned over him and whispered Gaara's name. When the redhead didn't stir Naruto reached out to touch his shoulder. As soon as contact was made Naruto was propelled onto his back with an undignified yelp. The blond teen stared apprehensively up at Gaara who was glaring at him with hazy eyes while he straddled Naruto's waist and restrained his wrists. The hostility in Gaara's eyes made Naruto shrink into himself and wish that he had just left without trying to wake the redhead. At least the duvet which had ended up between them provided him some (if meagre) protection from the volatile redhead.

"Gaara?" Naruto questioned hesitantly, not wanting to set him off.

Gaara blinked a few times, his gaze becoming slightly less hazy. After a moment he dropped the glare with a groan. "It's early; what the hell do you want?"

"I was just going to tell you that I have to leave or my guardian will kill me," Naruto replied meekly.

Gaara groaned again and rolled off of Naruto, taking the duvet with him. He curled up on his side facing away from Naruto and muttered, "Next time only wake me up if someone's dying."

Now that he was no longer being pinned down anger surged through Naruto. He'd been showing common curtsey by telling Gaara he was leaving and what did he get in return? He got attacked and given the brush off! Naruto would have started ranting at Gaara if he hadn't remembered that Iruka wanted him home for lunch. He hurriedly scrambled off the bed and gathered his things together, only sparing Gaara a glance as he prepared to leave. The redhead looked cute curled up under the duvet. His features were lax and it gave Gaara a very peaceful look.

Naruto smiled to himself. He couldn't stay mad at Gaara when he was looking like that. It was understandable that he was pissy after being rudely awoken – Naruto was sure he would have been equally irritated if he'd been awoken for anything less than a house fire at an ungodly hour. And since Gaara was a vampire twelve in the afternoon probably was an ungodly hour.

With that thought in mind Naruto dashed out of the apartment, praying that he could find a bus that would get him back to his apartment quickly. Naruto was lucky that because Gaara lived in the city centre there were plenty of buses about. Unfortunately the bus station signs were very unhelpful and after five minutes of staring at the puzzling text he realized he had just missed his bus.

It was another ten minutes before the next bus arrived. Naruto couldn't get on it though because somebody had thrown up and the bus needed to be cleaned before it could leave. To pass the time Naruto decided to grab breakfast/lunch. Whilst waiting in the long queue for his food the janitorial staff finished cleaning and the bus set off without him.

By the time Naruto arrived home he was dreading Iruka's reaction. He opened the door as quietly as possible and tried to sneak into his room without being noticed. His plan failed as Iruka was standing in the middle of the entrance way waiting for him. The older man's arms were folded, his expression severe. He meant business. "Mind explaining where you've been?"

"Well," Naruto drawled, quickly trying to construct a decent lie. "Me and the guys were up late last night and so I kinda overslept this morning and you know how fickle the buses from Sasuke's place are. I would have called to warn you but I never imagined the bus would take _that_ long to arrive and then get stuck in traffic."

"Don't lie Naruto – I called Sasuke's parents and they told me that Sasuke didn't have a sleepover last night," Iruka said with his teachers' glare turned up to the max.

"Did I say Sasuke's? I meant Haku's; I was sleeping over at Haku's place last night!" Naruto said, nervously scratching at the back of his head.

"Sasuke's parents said the same thing. But when I called Haku's parents they said that Haku was staying at Sasuke's." There was a gleam of triumph in Iruka's eyes for trapping Naruto. "So if you weren't staying with your two best friends where _were_ you staying?"

Naruto considered the pros and cons of the truth. A pro was that Iruka would be proud of him for owning up that he lied, went to a club and stayed overnight at his new boyfriend's house. A con was that he would be grounded for life. Taking this into account, it was very easy for Naruto to decide that now was not a good time to admit he lied.

"I was staying with Sasuke's brother Itachi." It was the first name that came into Naruto's head that wasn't Gaara's.

Iruka raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Oh really? Well why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"Because I was worried that you wouldn't consider Itachi a responsible adult even though he is over eighteen and that you wouldn't allow me to go."

"And why have you suddenly taken an interest in Sasuke's brother? And why did both Haku and Sasuke lie to their parents about staying with Itachi?"

"Haku for the same reason as me and Sasuke's parents banned him from seeing Itachi so Sasuke has to do it in secret. Sasuke wouldn't tell me why he was banned so I was hoping I could get it out of Itachi if I met him in person." Naruto was rather proud of himself for being able to come up with such a good lie on the spot. Well, he had run through a few ideas in his head on the bus in-between his bouts of panic that Iruka would kill him for being late, but the majority of this he was making up as he went along.

"And it took you all night to get this information out of him?"

"Well no, it didn't; some of Itachi's friends came round and we spent the night talking and watching films."

"And where does Itachi live?"

"The centre of town."

Iruka continued to stare at Naruto, analyzing his facial expression and mulling over his answers. "You promise I'm hearing the truth this time?"

"Yes," Naruto said calmly while internally cringing. He didn't like making promises that he couldn't keep or that weren't true. However, if Iruka knew the truth then Naruto would be royally screwed. For this reason he needed to make this phoney promise and pray that Iruka never finds out that he lied.

Iruka uncrossed his arms and dropped the stern teacher look. He smiled wearily as he said, "I'm glad you told the truth in the end. You're still grounded for lying in the first place though."

The hope that had for a moment flickered inside Naruto quickly vanished. "For how long?" he asked with a resigned tone.

"From now until next Sunday sounds like a reasonable amount of time. One week of punishment for one lie."

Iruka was still searching for any hint that Naruto was lying. Naruto was sure Iruka suspected that there was something else going on but he wasn't pressing it. He was giving Naruto the chance to come forward and admit his guilt. As much as Naruto wanted to do so and clear his conscious, he knew that Iruka wouldn't be happy with him and he'd be grounded an extra week for lying and another for going to a club when he was underage. A heavy conscious was much easier to live with than being stuck in the house for nearly a whole month.

Now that the confrontation was over Iruka returned to the living room. Naruto headed straight to his laptop. As soon as he logged onto MSN he was assaulted with the questions, "_How was your night?" _from Haku and_, "What took you so long?" _from Sasuke.

"_The night was fine. Gaara and I shared a bed. Before you get excited, we didn't do anything; not even cuddle. Then in the morning when I tried to wake him up he thought I was attacking me or something because he pinned me down and looked really angry until he realized who I was. So then I missed _two_buses and ended up getting in trouble with Iruka. He now knows that I didn't stay at Sasuke's house last night but thinks we had a party at Itachi's instead. I'm now grounded for a week for lying."_

"_Condolences,"_was Haku's reply.

"_Why did you say you were at my brother's?"_

"_First plausible lie I could come up with."_

"_Idiot."_

"_Gaara's not going to be happy that you're not going out on Friday," _said Haku before the two could get into a virtual insult war.

"_I know. Tell him sorry for me OK? I'd do it myself but I don't have his number. And even if I did, he told me not to wake him up unless someone was dying."_

"_Even vampires need their beauty sleep," _Haku commented.

"_Yeah. Sorry guys but I've got to go; Iruka's giving me the look that says all communication is banned now that I've informed you I'm grounded."_

"_Oh dear. See you on Monday Naruto!"_

"_Bye Idiot. Next time don't get caught."_

With that Naruto signed off and closed the lid of the laptop. He had the whole weekend ahead of him without his friends. It was a sad prospect but one Naruto could deal with. It was only two days after all; he could cope for two days. It left him with nothing to distract him from important things like homework. Except for thoughts of Gaara. The image of the redheaded vampire from the night before rose unbidden into Naruto's mind. Just imagining the possessive look in Gaara's eyes made Naruto shiver. Naruto was sure that over the next week thoughts of Gaara would be a major distraction for him.

Naruto's dazed smile caught Iruka's attention. "Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto quickly snapped out of it and forced a cheesy grin onto his face. "I'm fine Iruka, just a little tired still from staying up so late."

"Maybe you should go back to bed then for a bit," Iruka suggested kindly.

"I'll do that," Naruto said, flashing his guardian a smile as he made his way to his room.

Naruto closed the door once he was inside and collapsed onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and let his mind wander. He wondered how Gaara would react to him not being there Friday. Would he be understanding and wait until next week to see him? Would he be angry and think Naruto was playing him? Would he not care that he wasn't there? Would Gaara find someone else to keep his bed warm?

Naruto didn't like that last thought at all. He wanted to be the only one Gaara fixed with that penetrating, lustful stare that scattered all of Naruto's inhibitions. He wanted to be the only one that Gaara looked at with eyes that cared. He wanted to be Gaara's one and only.

Naruto pulled a pillow to his chest and hugged it. He was getting soppy. He should think about something else. Sports? Naruto was sure that Gaara would be good at sports with his long, lean legs and strong arms. Computer games? Naruto thought it would be fun to face off with Gaara on his newest game. Music? Gaara would probably be into punk rock and dark songs. Magazines? If he wanted Gaara could have been a model for a magazine.

Naruto groaned and buried his face in the pillow. It was official – he'd got it bad.

* * *

It was Friday and everyone was glad that it was the weekend. Everyone, that is, except for Naruto. The teenager looked as if his cat had been run over or a favourite aunt had passed away. Neither of those were the reason why he was sad though. He was sad because he couldn't go out with his friends to meet up with the guy he hadn't been able to stop thinking about all week. 

It made Sasuke and Haku feel slightly guilty about being able to go see their boyfriends when Naruto couldn't. But then somebody had to bear the bad news to Gaara. Also, if they said they weren't going to go, Naruto would feel guilty and try his hardest to persuade them to have a good time without him because that was the type of friend he was. It was what he used to do when they were younger and were invited to birthday parties. Most of the kids didn't like Naruto so he was never invited. The blond would smile and tell his two best friends that he didn't want to go to the stupid party anyway and that they should go enjoy themselves. It was a convincing lie and Haku and Sasuke almost always fell for it. But then they would see Naruto cry when he thought they weren't looking. The two always decided that they'd rather have a party with their best friend than some other idiot.

Things were different this time around though. Naruto was grounded so they couldn't go over to his place for a party. This time they had to follow Naruto's wishes to go out and enjoy themselves. It wouldn't be the same without him though – that much they knew for sure.

As they said goodbye for the weekend both parties tried their best to act as if it was no different from any other weekend. They'd enjoy their two days of freedom before being dragged back into the hell known as school. They tried their best to pretend and they almost succeeded. Almost, but not quite.

* * *

Somehow the tapping of Gaara's glass against the bar was heard over the pounding beat of the music. The constant tapping was both annoying and amusing to the two other vampires sat next to the redhead. It was annoying because it was grating on the nerves but amusing because it was a sign that Gaara was anxious. Gaara was never normally anxious, especially when it came to a human. This human was special though. He had been distracting Gaara from his work all week. That stupid grin had plagued Gaara's mind for days and now he was waiting impatiently for Naruto to arrive. The wait was starting to get to him; Gaara's insides were coiling tighter and tighter the longer he waited. He dearly hoped Naruto arrived quickly or he'd have to relieve the tension by breaking something. 

The sound of someone ascending the stairs was caught by Gaara's acute hearing. He looked over to see Haku and Sasuke appear on the balcony. He waited for the third member of the group to arrive but no mop of blond spikes appeared.

Eventually Gaara turned to the others and asked, "Where is he?"

"His guardian found out that he lied about where he was Friday night so now Naruto's grounded until Sunday," said Haku almost apologetically. "He says he's sorry he can't come and sends his love."

Instead of replying Gaara turned to stare pensively into his drink. Naruto wasn't coming? Gaara was disappointed to say the least. He had been looking forward to seeing the pretty blond and now he wasn't coming. Gaara glared at his glass as if it was the cause of all his problems. He then downed the contents and ordered another.

The rest of the group were also disappointed that Naruto wasn't there but they tried to enjoy themselves anyway. It was hard to do so when Gaara was sulking right next to them.

It wasn't long before Sasuke had had enough of the redhead's dark mood. He turned to Itachi and asked, "Got paper and a pen?"

Itachi procured the items from his pocket. "What are you doing little brother?" he whispered into Sasuke's ear as the teenager began writing.

"Making Naruto and Gaara's night," replied Sasuke with a smirk.

Itachi looked at what was written and produced an identical smirk. "You_are_ wicked little brother."

With that Itachi turned Sasuke's head, crushing their lips together. The scrap of paper was still clutched tightly in Sasuke's hand as he flung his arms around his brother's neck. Itachi pulled Sasuke into his lap as their tongues joined the fray. This continued until Itachi moved from Sasuke's lips to his neck. In between sharp gasps for air Sasuke was able to catch Gaara's attention. "Gaara…Naruto's address…beware of Iruka."

Gaara's eyes darted calculatingly from the piece of paper in Sasuke's hand to the boy's pleasure filled face. It didn't take long for him to decide to take Sasuke up on his offer. He downed the last bit of his drink before standing, snatching the paper from Sasuke's clenched fist, and striding out of the club.

Zabuza chuckled as he watched Gaara go. "I hope he remembers to keep the blond brat quiet. And to leave before dawn."

"I'm sure he will," Haku said with a giggle as he cuddled up to his boyfriend.

After that there was nothing left to do besides kiss and ignore whatever the hell the Uchiha brothers were doing to each other. The perfect way for those in love (or in lust) to spend a Friday night.

* * *

Up until that point in time Naruto had never realized how crap Friday night TV was. The so-called comedy programmes were second rate and the dramas bored him to tears. Iruka had suggested putting on a film but when Naruto looked through their collection he couldn't find any that would distract him enough to pull his mind away from Club Secret. 

Naruto couldn't stop thinking about his friends and how they would be having such a great time without him. He couldn't stop remembering his two previous visits to Club Secret and all the fun he had had while there. Well, maybe the end of his first visit hadn't necessarily been fun, but the rest of the night had been great.

Then there was Gaara. Naruto would have to wait another week before he could feel those lips pressed insistently against his, feel strong hands pulling him close to a warm, firm body. It would be another seven days before he could indulge in the vampire's quiet but attentive company.

Seeing as Naruto couldn't shake these thoughts from his head he decided to go to bed early. He changed into his pyjamas then crawled into bed with his MP3 player. Naruto lay back on his bed and allowed the music to wash over him. He hummed along with a few of his favourite tunes, smiling as the music washed away his melancholy.

The music was turned up loud enough to mask the sound of the lock on Naruto's window being picked. A dark figure slipped into the room unnoticed. It stalked closer to Naruto's bed, slowly reaching out towards him.

A chill breeze made Naruto wonder if he had accidentally left the window open. He paused the music and opened his eyes but before he could sit up a cold hand was pressed over his mouth. Adrenaline immediately started coursing through Naruto's veins as he panicked. His legs began to thrash while his hands gripped the arms that were pinning him down. Before Naruto could bite the hand that covered his mouth, the mysterious figure whispered, "Don't scream."

Naruto paused in his struggling. He recognized that voice. The hand was removed from his mouth and replaced by a pair of lips, a pair of lips that tenderly caressed Naruto's mouth. The kiss was familiar and easy to place. When the two mouths parted Naruto spoke the man's name as a sigh. "Gaara." Gaara reached over and removed the headphones from Naruto's ears; moving the player so that it wouldn't be damaged. Naruto sat up and shifted over so that the vampire could take a seat on the edge of his bed. "What are you doing here Gaara?"

"Your friends said you couldn't come to Club Secret so I came to you," Gaara answered as he kicked off his boots so that he could put his feet up on the bed.

"How did you get my address?"

"The Uchiha."

Naruto snorted. "Figures; he would be the one to give out my address to dark, brooding men." Just to make sure Gaara didn't take that as an insult, Naruto leaned against the redhead, resting his head on the older man's shoulder. Gaara's arm snaked around Naruto's waist and another question appeared to the blond. "How did you get in here?"

"I picked the lock," replied Gaara coolly.

"Did you do it with a paperclip like they do in movies?"

"No, I used a special gadget which is much more reliable than a paperclip."

"Cool! But, how did you get into my room? There isn't a fire escape outside my window and we're well above the first floor," asked Naruto, puzzled.

"I flew up here," replied Gaara as if this was the most natural thing in the world to do.

Naruto gaped in open-mouthed shock. "Are you serious? You _flew_?! How is that possible?"

"It's another one of a vampire's powers. We are able to manipulate gravity and other such forces in order to levitate."

"Amazing!" Naruto cried. He quickly clapped his hands over his mouth, remembering that Iruka was next door and that he was supposed to be sleeping. When there was no activity outside his door, Naruto continued in a much quieter (but equally excited) tone. "What's it like to fly?"

"In the beginning it is exhilarating but by the end you feel exhausted. Flying requires an enormous amount of energy, which is why vampires do not do it very often." Gaara turned and fixed Naruto with a penetrating stare. "Even after a short journey like ascending to your window I need blood. I hope you won't mind me taking your blood because I will need the energy for the trip down."

Naruto swallowed hard at the idea of Gaara biting him again. "Will it hurt?" he asked timidly.

"A bit, but I know ways that should lessen the pain." Gaara paused for a moment before adding. "If you don't want to donate your blood I could always take a small amount from your guardian and then erase his memory of my presence."

Naruto's eyes widened. It almost sounded like a threat: give me your blood or I'll attack the one you care about. Naruto was sure that Gaara hadn't meant for it to be a threat but it was. The blond didn't particularly like the idea of someone having their blood sucked out of them, even if it was just a small amount. It was the product of watching too many horror films where the vampires sucked the humans dry and left them for dead. Naruto was sure Gaara wouldn't do that to Iruka but the thought still gave him the creeps.

Gaara's hand cupped Naruto's cheek. The blond teen's eyesight might not be good enough to make out fully Gaara's expression but Gaara's eyes could easily pick up the fear on Naruto's face. "I don't intend either of you harm; I'm just being practical. I need blood or I'll die, it's as simple as that. A vampire can't be squeamish about where they get their blood from if they want to survive."

Naruto nodded in understanding, trying to give Gaara a reassuring smile. It was still a bit wobbly to the vampire's eyes. Gaara gently pushed the blond onto his back and straddled his waist. He started with slow kisses, gently increasing the pace. He then moved up Naruto's jaw to his ear, licking and nipping at the sensitive cartilage. Naruto gasped and let out soft moans of delight as he wrapped his arms around Gaara's shoulders. It was a very pleasant feeling having Gaara's warm breath caressing his skin. Then the vampire's hand slipped up his shirt to tweak an erect nipple and Naruto couldn't stop himself from tossing back his head and releasing a delicious mewl of joy.

Gaara's lips were pressed against Naruto's ear as he whispered, "Keep in mind that we're not alone."

Naruto nodded and Gaara continued his ministrations. The blond teen's hands ran up and down Gaara's back before embedding themselves in the mess of red spikes that was Gaara's hair. He tugged on the red spikes every time a new jolt of pleasure ran through his system then pulled back every time Gaara did something he didn't like. It didn't take Gaara long to memorize the places Naruto loved to be touched and the places he hated to be touched.

After awhile Naruto started feeling guilty. Here he was letting Gaara do all the work while he sat back and did nothing. He should be giving Gaara as much pleasure as he was receiving. With this in mind Naruto's hands slipped down to Gaara's chest. He started by pushing the jacket off Gaara's broad shoulders then reached down to the base of the redhead's shirt. Gaara sat back and shrugged out of his jacket, allowing it to fall to the floor. He then raised his arms so that Naruto could pull his shirt over his head.

In the dark all Naruto could make out was a pale spot against the black. His hands ran the length of the revealed skin, feeling the subtle muscles hidden beneath. Naruto felt like drooling over the obvious sex god above him. He restrained himself though and instead made for Gaara's nipples and repeated the same manoeuvres the redhead had used on him. Gaara gasped, his breathing becoming heavier. He allowed the blond to continue for a short while before pushing the hands away. He moved in close again and whispered breathily, "Don't get me too riled up or I'll bite a lot less gently than I should."

Naruto was still as he realized what this was all leading to. Gaara was distracting him so that it wouldn't hurt when he drank Naruto's blood. Gaara noticed Naruto's nervousness returning and quickly removed the boy's shirt. The redhead then erotically dipped his tongue in and out of Naruto's navel making the blond squirm. Kisses were then littered up Naruto's torso until Gaara reached his nipples. When Gaara kissed these Naruto moaned and tried to press up into Gaara's mouth. Gaara smirked, his tongue passing through parted lips to lick the overly sensitive flesh. Naruto's hands were immediately back in his hair to tell him that the blond _really_liked what he was doing.

Unfortunately for Naruto Gaara moved up to the boy's neck to suck on the skin there. His fingers did linger over Naruto's chest though, tweaking Naruto's nipples every so often so that Gaara could hear that delightful moan of his.

Gaara spent a lot longer tasting Naruto's neck than he had anywhere else. His teeth teased the skin then his tongue soothed the irritation. A small part of Naruto's brain wondered how he was going to explain the love-bite to Iruka in the morning. The rest of his brain told that part to shut up and enjoy Gaara's attention before he disappeared for another week.

Eventually Gaara decided that Naruto was as ready as he ever would be. Gaara removed his lips and whispered, "Relax," before returning to the spot he had just tenderised. Gaara allowed himself for the first time to notice Naruto's pounding heartbeat, allowed himself to hear the blood rushing through Naruto's jugular. Gaara's incisors elongated into fangs. He held down the body beneath him as he sank his fangs into Naruto's neck.

Naruto almost screamed. Gaara's fingers on Naruto's nipples turned the scream into a short cry that ended in whimpers. Naruto could feel the blood leaving his body, could feel the dizziness that came with losing blood. It hurt but Gaara was doing his best to distract Naruto from the pain. One hand was even kneading the erection that Naruto had been sporting before he was bitten. The attention distracted him from the pain and allowed him to wallow in a place that was just beyond sensation.

Meanwhile, Gaara was groaning appreciatively as the blood flowed over his tongue. Naruto's blood was as rich and delicious as he remembered. It was a taste that he couldn't get enough of and Gaara would have continued to feed until he had taken every last drop of blood in Naruto's body if a rational part of his mind hadn't reminded him that if he did that he wouldn't be able to taste such sweet blood ever again. With that in mind Gaara removed his fangs. He lapped up the remaining blood that congregated around the wound then used the healing agents in his saliva to close the wound.

There was a moment of stillness in the room. The pain had receded and now Naruto could think rationally again. Gaara on the other hand was still on a high from his feeding and was searching for a way to calm himself down. The best way was usually masturbation. However, Gaara wasn't sure that such a method was appropriate in this situation. He couldn't risk sneaking to the bathroom to do it privately and he was sure Naruto wouldn't appreciate Gaara jerking off in front of him. Unless, of course, he was a part of the proceedings.

Gaara smirked as he moved his face close to Naruto's. The blond gulped at the very predatory look in Gaara's eyes which looked to change colour for a second. Naruto then gasped and whimpered as Gaara began to stroke the erection he was still sporting.

"I know you don't do sex on the first date but would you allow me to get you off on the second?" Gaara asked sweetly.

"You make a very tempting offer," Naruto said breathlessly. "But the whole bloodsucker thing really isn't a turn on for me. Right now I'd much rather sleep than start sexual activities that I'll pass out in the middle of."

Gaara considered this for a moment. He had taken a rather large amount of blood from Naruto, not enough to threaten his life but enough to make him feel tired. Perhaps it was too much to ask for sex after just asking for blood? Then again, Gaara's senses were still heightened and his body was yearning for some carnal pleasure. Or exercise. Sometimes a good long run was enough to quieten a vampire's more bestial nature.

Gaara sighed. "In that case I'll leave you to sleep."

Gaara made to get up but was stopped when Naruto grabbed hold of his arm. Those sparkling blue eyes were wide with surprise and a little bit of fear. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a run so that I won't molest you when you're sleeping. The bloodsucking might not turn you on but it does me greatly. If I don't get all that excess adrenaline and testosterone out of my system then I'm going to do something to you that I won't regret," Gaara said before he leaned down and gently kissed Naruto's lips.

"So you're not leaving because I didn't put out?" Naruto asked, unable to keep the hopeful relief out of his voice.

"Would you put up with me if I was?" Gaara asked teasingly.

"Absolutely not." Naruto laughed lightly, glad that everything was still cool between them.

Gaara's lips twitched up into a smile. He gave Naruto another kiss, whispering, "Sleep well," before redressing. He couldn't resist giving his blond a final kiss before jumping up onto the windowsill. He slipped outside, closing the window behind him. After that Gaara closed his eyes and drew upon his hidden powers. When he opened his eyes again they were a bright amber colour with shuriken shaped pupils.

Gaara stepped off the ledge and hovered in midair. The redhead then flew over to a neighbouring building and alighted on the roof. His eyes closed again and he frowned, trying hard to get his powers back under control. His eyes reopened and they were his normal teal green colour.

Gaara took a moment to plan his run. He could go back to Club Secret but that would mean he'd have to put up with kissing couples. Gaara shuddered at the thought. It would probably be better if he just returned home. If he ran to the bottom of the building and then all the way back to his apartment then he was sure that he would be sufficiently calmed. He may also be wide awake but that was unimportant. The night was young and he could always do to get a head start on his work. With that in mind Gaara set off to find the roof's entrance to begin his run.

Meanwhile, Naruto was lying in bed going over everything that had happened that night. Their make-out session had been awesome and Naruto was sure that if he hadn't felt so tired he would have allowed Gaara to continue his actions. But he was tired and the blond was glad that Gaara had accepted this fact.

Naruto smiled to himself as he sat up and pulled his shirt back on. It didn't feel as nice against his skin as Gaara did but then he really shouldn't be expecting such things from a cotton rag.

Naruto chuckled as he buried himself under the covers. He was happy that he had seen his boyfriend, a boyfriend who obviously cared about him, a boyfriend that was so hot he was almost on fire. Naruto couldn't stop grinning over how lucky he was. At one point Naruto's mind informed him that he was acting like a school girl who had just got her crush to notice her. Naruto didn't care though; he would have jumped up and down squealing if he'd had the energy. But he didn't, and that's why he quickly drifted off to sleep with a wide, cheesy grin plastered on his face and dreams of sexy red haired vampires running through his head.

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Please Review! 


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter took awhile to write as I needed a plot and didn't have one. After finishing Twilight I think i have now devised a plot as you will see this chapter because it is mostly set up for the chapters to come as well as a bit of back-story and GaaNaru goodness.

In regards to the next chapter I have no idea when it will be out. I know what I'm going to put in it but I go back to school Tuesday and should be revising for exams. This will hinder the writing process so beware. And now on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Naruto awoke slowly from his deep sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily before stretching. A dopey grin slid onto his lips as he recalled his visitor from the night before. His hand came up lazily to the place on his neck where he had been bitten. That was an experience he hoped he'd never have to repeat.

As Naruto continued to caress his neck his eyes widened in realisation. Instantly he was on his feet and rushing to the bathroom. He slammed the door open and shut before dashing to the mirror. To his absolute horror his neck was covered in love bites. "Shit," he hissed, wondering how he was going to explain this to Iruka.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

Speak of the devil. Naruto whirled around to stare tentatively at the closed door. "I'm fine; I just really needed to go."

"Alright then."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief when Iruka left without checking on him. He returned to staring forlornly into the mirror. "Stupid vampire," he muttered as he prodded the marks.

After staring for another few minutes Naruto relieved himself before searching the bathroom for anything that he could use to hide the evidence of his midnight activities. Finding nothing he hurried back into his room before Iruka saw him. He changed quickly, putting on a sweater with a high neckline. He then headed into the kitchen to find breakfast.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at his unusual ensemble. "Are you cold Naruto?"

"No, I'm fine; I just thought I'd wear something different today," Naruto replied with a wide, disarming grin.

Iruka let it go, instead posing a different question. "I thought I heard some strange noises in your room last night. Were you talking in your sleep again?"

Naruto laughed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, probably."

Iruka chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you'd grown out of that but apparently not."

Naruto chuckled uneasily. He felt bad about lying to Iruka. The man had given him a home after his parents died and since then had done everything in his power to make Naruto happy. It didn't feel right to lie to him, even though it was probably in Iruka's best interest that he remained unaware that Naruto now had a social life. He'd freak out if he found out that Naruto had an older boyfriend. It wasn't that he was homophobic or anything, he was just overprotective. He'd jump to the conclusion that this older boyfriend was forcing Naruto to have sex with him and then he'd ban Naruto from seeing Gaara. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that Gaara would take such news very badly. Naruto had no desire to see his lover use his unknown powers to get Iruka to agree to let them be together.

Naruto must have shivered because Iruka was once again giving him a funny look. "Are you sure you're alright Naruto?"

Naruto forced another smile onto his face. "I'm fine – honestly!"

The blond hurriedly began making some breakfast. Iruka continued to stare worriedly at his adopted son's back. There was something off about Naruto's smile. Iruka could see quite easily that there was something Naruto wasn't telling him but he didn't think he should press it.

It was drawing near to the anniversary of the death of Naruto's parents. Around the time of the anniversary Naruto often acted withdrawn and secretive. In years past Iruka had found Naruto crying in his room quietly, hoping not to be noticed. Iruka knew he was mourning his parents and had offered the boy a hug to help. Naruto always denied that he was crying; always felt that he shouldn't let his past affect him. He didn't want to appear ungrateful, didn't want Iruka to think he didn't appreciate what he did for him.

Iruka smiled sadly. Naruto was too kind sometimes.

"Hey Naruto, why don't you go visit Haku; I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

Naruto spun around in surprise. "I thought I was grounded?"

"It's alright; I think you've learned your lesson."

Naruto whooped in joy before throwing his arms around Iruka in a hug. "Thank you Iruka! You're the best!"

"Wait Naruto! What about breakfast?" Iruka called after the retreating boy.

Naruto meekly returned to the kitchen, laughing softly at his own eagerness. Iruka joined in with his own laughter. No matter how old he got Naruto would always be the same clueless blond that never failed to make Iruka smile. At least, he hoped Naruto would always be the same. That thought made Iruka stop laughing and for the first time he wondered if perhaps it wasn't his sadness over his parents' death that Naruto was trying to keep hidden.

As Naruto hurriedly inhaled his breakfast a small seed of something akin to dread was planted inside Iruka's heart. The only thing that stopped the seed from growing was the belief that Naruto would tell him if there was something really wrong happening in his life. At least, he prayed he would.

* * *

It was Haku's foster mother who opened the door when Naruto knocked. She was a nice woman with a kind, smiling face. She allowed Naruto to come in even though Haku wasn't home and offered him some homemade cookies. Seeing as her cooking was almost as good as Sasuke's mother's Naruto gladly accepted the offer. By the time Haku arrived home half the plate had been devoured.

"Naruto what are you doing here, I thought you were grounded!?" cried Haku in delight as he walked into the kitchen to see his friend.

"Iruka decided to end my punishment early and actually _told_ me to come visit you. Crazy huh?"

"Indeed," Haku said as he removed the plate of cookies from Naruto's reach.

Naruto pouted at being denied the rest of the treats. He followed Haku to his room so that they could talk in private. As soon as the door was closed Haku started interrogating Naruto on what happened. Naruto's answer was to pull off the sweater and reveal the love bites.

Haku giggled at the sight. "Naughty, naughty Naruto – what have you been up to?" he sing-songed as he leaned over to prod one of the marks.

"It's not funny Haku; Iruka got all suspicious about me wearing this sweater, I'm pretty sure he suspects something."

"Everything's fine as long as he only suspects something is wrong; it's when he _knows_ that problems arise."

"You seem to be speaking from experience."

Haku smiled sadly. "My parents forbid me from going out on Friday nights because they were convinced I was getting up to mischief. Zabuza came round to convince them that I was safe but they freaked out because he was eight years older than me. The whole incident had to be wiped from their memories."

Naruto shivered. Gaara had said that he could erase Iruka's memories as well. It was an option Naruto wanted to avoid if he could. "So does he have to keep erasing their memories?"

Haku shook his head. "Zabuza's only done it once as far as I'm aware. He may have to do it again soon though because my father's suspicion is being aroused again."

Haku looked thoroughly depressed by the thought. Naruto struggled for a way to comfort him. "It doesn't hurt them though does it? It doesn't give them brain cancer or anything."

Haku shrugged and Naruto's spirits fell. "Vampires avoid doing it because it takes a lot of energy. Nobody's ever thought to test the effects of prolonged exposure on humans. And as for hurting…Zabuza wanted me to leave the room when he did it. I think because he was trying to erase two people's memories at once it was harder on him and so they were both aware of what was happening. They were both very distressed – my mother was screaming and crying – and then they both fainted. When they woke up the next morning they had no memory of what had happened."

Naruto slung his arm around Haku's shoulders in a comforting gesture, both feeling disturbed by the story. It was the down side of dating a vampire – you couldn't tell anyone about it and those who found out had to be dealt with. It was an issue both teens were keen on pretending didn't exist as it put a strain on the happiness they felt when they were with the ones they loved. Even though they knew they would have to face up to reality sooner or later for the moment they were fine ignoring the whole awkward situation.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Naruto removed his arm, a grin upon his face. "Hey, I bet I can whoop your ass at Final Fantasy X!"

An identical grin split Haku's face. "When the score stands at 5:0 to me I don't think that's possible."

"We'll see about that!"

With that the two rushed over to Haku's PS2 and readied themselves for battle, deciding it was better to hide in the realms of fantasy than face their problems just yet.

* * *

Gaara glanced at the clock and noted the time. The sun should have set by now so it was safe to head out to Club Secret for his normal Friday rendezvous with Naruto and the others.

The redhead put down his book and headed over to the kitchen counter to grab his keys and wallet. He turned to leave but was stopped by the ringing of the phone. Gaara contemplated letting it go to voice mail but then decided better of it. "Yes?"

"Hey there baby, did you miss me?"

Gaara froze at the voice. Then he snarled down the phone, "What the fuck do you want Deidara?"

"Temper, temper Darling. I finally manage to track you down and that's all you can say after all this time, un?"

"Yes, seeing as I didn't want you to track me down," Gaara hissed venomously.

"You're so cruel Gaara," Deidara smirked on the other end of the line, adding, "and that's why I love you."

"No, what you love is the fact that I look like Sasori. Now piss off and don't you dare ever call me again!" With that Gaara slammed down the phone and stormed out of his apartment.

By the time Gaara got to Club Secret he hadn't yet reined in his anger. He decided to postpone going into the club until he had calmed down and so set off on a circuit around the block, shouldering fellow pedestrians out of his way and ignoring the angry stares that were aimed at him.

It was on Gaara's fifth lap that Naruto, Sasuke and Haku arrived. Naruto smiled when he noticed the vampire and shouted, "Gaara!" to get his attention.

Upon hearing his name shouted by that familiarly appealing voice Gaara stopped, turning to see his blond running towards him with friends in tow. A weight lifted from Gaara's chest and he almost smiled. When Naruto was close enough Gaara pulled him close to him, burying his face in Naruto's hair. The smell lifted a second weight from Gaara's chest so that he felt much calmer than he had before. Gaara released a soft sigh, more than content to stay in that position with Naruto pressed up against him for the rest of the night.

Naruto chuckled at Gaara's unusual (but not unwanted) display of affection. "Hey Gaara, I'm glad you're happy to see me but don't you think we should take this inside? I think we're creeping out a few people."

"Very well," Gaara replied quietly, releasing Naruto from his hold but keeping a protective arm around his waist. Naruto smiled self-consciously and allowed himself to be shepherded towards Club Secret.

Zabuza and Itachi were waiting for them expectantly in the VIP lounge.

"There you are Gaara!" Zabuza cried as the red haired vampire came into view. "Where have you been? We thought you'd been attacked or something seeing as you're usually the first one here."

"Deidara called me," Gaara muttered quietly as he passed the other vampire on his way to his seat.

"Ah, that explains it," Zabuza replied knowingly.

"Who's Deidara?" Naruto asked curiously.

"My ex," Gaara muttered, his voice laced with disgust.

Naruto's first reaction to hearing that Gaara had spoken with his ex was to feel like he was going to be sick. The blind panic subsided quickly though as Gaara's tone registered. Naruto need not fear Deidara stealing Gaara back if the redhead continued to speak of him with such repulsion in his voice. Nor did he have to worry about being compared to Deidara and coming out as a disappointment to Gaara. From the sound of it whatever good there once was in that relationship it had been forgotten.

Gaara motioned for the bartender to get him the usual. Once the glass was placed in front of him Gaara picked it up and downed it in one go. He motioned for another before beginning his rant. "Deidara is the ex I split up with years ago because it turned out our whole relationship had been a lie; the only reason he was with me was because I looked like his dead lover Sasori.

"I tried to break it off gently but he wouldn't have any of it. He actually thought I was Sasori and told me I couldn't leave because we were soul mates. In the end I packed my bags and left. I thought I'd made sure he wouldn't find me again but apparently he has and he still thinks he loves me."

Gaara downed the next glass and ordered a third. Naruto watched him intently before asking, "How did you know he thought you were somebody else?"

"He screamed Sasori's name while we were having sex."

Everyone listening in on the conversation winced. Sasuke smirked. "That should reassure you Naruto – whatever performance you give can't possibly be worse than that."

"Shut up Sasuke," Naruto said, shooting a glare at his still smirking friend. He then turned back to Gaara. "So what did this guy say to you?"

"That he's still in love with the person he thinks I am."

There was a moment a silence before Naruto's resolve was set. "Well he can't have you because you're mine and I'm not willing to give you up that easily."

Gaara gave him a sidelong calculating glance. His eyes locked onto Naruto's and he saw nothing sinister in the teen's sincere possessiveness. Gaara's eyes softened and his lips turned up into a hinted smile. He leaned over and delicately captured Naruto's lips. He kept it short and sweet but left his hand lingering on Naruto's cheek. Naruto leaned into the touch, smiling contently as Gaara's thumb caressed his cheek.

The romantic moment was cut short when Zabuza cut in by saying, "You're going soft Gaara."

Gaara's hand quickly left Naruto's cheek in favour of clutching his glass. Naruto sent the interrupter an annoyed glare before shuffling closer to Gaara. He dropped his head onto the vampire's shoulder, smiling when Gaara put his arm around his waist. A minute later Gaara turned to look at Naruto. They shared a short kiss before Gaara ordered Naruto a drink. They sat in contented silence for awhile, allowing the music to drown out all their problems.

The rest of the night was spent as the previous Friday nights had been spent: talking, drinking, teasing and occasionally dancing. Everyone forgot about Deidara and the problems his appearance represented. At least, they forgot for that moment anyway.

It was well after midnight by the time the three couples parted ways. Gaara had had a lot more to drink that night and Naruto had the pleasure of seeing his boyfriend tipsy for the first time. The drink gave Gaara (like most people) a boost in confidence. When they arrived at Gaara's apartment there was none of the awkwardness there had been the first time Naruto came to stay. This was partly because they'd been through the routine once before. However, that didn't account for Gaara's behaviour once they were in bed together. Instead of staying as far away from Naruto as possible Gaara had crawled next to him and started raining kisses upon him. Naruto had responded eagerly once Gaara found his lips.

Gaara kept their make-out session brief which gained a mixed reaction from Naruto. On the one hand he had been enjoying himself and hadn't wanted to stop. On the other hand he was tired and needed sleep after a hard week of school and playful remarks about the love bites that had thankfully now faded. Sometimes Naruto really wondered why he chose sarcastic smart-mouths as his best friends.

Gaara gave Naruto's lips a final peck before rolling onto his back. His arm was aligned with Naruto's – it was the only contact between the two. Gaara quickly decided that it wasn't enough. He turned onto his side, wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, then rolled onto his back. Naruto's body rolled with him, the blond managing to brace himself with his arms before his face crashed into Gaara's.

Before Naruto could ask what Gaara was doing the vampire had moved the teen's body so that his cheek was pressed against Gaara's chest. Naruto smiled, then, as Gaara firmly embraced him before stilling. Naruto closed his eyes and whispered, "Goodnight Gaara."

Gaara's reply was a tightening of his arms around Naruto's waist as he pressed a kiss into blond spikes of hair. Naruto's smile grew a fraction. With his eyes closed his other senses were heightened. Pressed up so close to Gaara he could smell the vampire's musky scent and hear the steady rhythm of Gaara's heart. It was soothing and reminded Naruto of when he was a child. His mother used to hold him like this when he had nightmares. Back then her comforting presence always calmed him, now the loss of that presence depressed him.

Hurriedly Naruto forced back the memories of his parents. The anniversary would be upon him soon and then he could reminisce to his heart's content. Until then he would concentrate on the present instead of the past.

Gaara waited patiently until Naruto's breathing evened out in sleep. For him it was still too early to be going to sleep, but that didn't mean he couldn't stay with Naruto until the time came. He really was beautiful, this human boy who Gaara should have had no interest in. Throughout his life as a vampire Gaara had tried to have as little to do with humans as possible. The one who had sired him had told Gaara that humans were vile, disgusting creates that were only good at being dinner. Gaara had been inclined to agree after his few short attempts at relationships had ended badly. From then on he had only sort the company of vampires but those relationships had also ended badly. Deidara had been the last straw – after him Gaara had decided he would give up on relationships.

Then Gaara had found Club Secret. He met Itachi and Zabuza who wanted to bring him into their community. He'd refused their offer and at first they were fine with that. Then they found out that he was the Sandman – the serial killer who was plaguing the city. They didn't agree with his method of killing to get the blood he needed; their ethos was to let their prey live and not draw suspicion to themselves. They'd told Gaara that he either started doing things their way or they'd force him to leave the city. Gaara hadn't taken any notice of their threat; he arrogantly believed that he was strong enough to defeat both of them. He'd been surprised to find that he couldn't. Even though Itachi had only recently been turned and Zabuza had been a vampire fewer years than Gaara, they still somehow managed to defeat him. They'd nearly killed themselves trying to do it but they had managed to show Gaara the strength of their convictions.

Gaara had been puzzled as to why two vampires as strong as them cared about the welfare of humans. He had decided to stick around and try to figure out the mystery. Until Naruto had arrived he'd only solved half of the mystery. Part of it was they wanted to hold onto some of their humanity by interacting with humans so that they didn't sink too deep into the primal madness that was brought on by their vampire blood. The other part was that there were some humans that didn't deserve to die. Some humans were compassionate and understanding towards vampires; they saw vampires as people who were just trying to live their lives without conflict. Some of them even went as far as falling in love with vampires – these were the truly special humans.

Gaara smiled and looked down at Naruto. Even if he wasn't special to anyone else, Naruto was special to Gaara. The vampire didn't understand fully why the boy was special; all he knew was that there was something about the boy that was very attractive to him. It wasn't just his looks or the taste of his blood (though that did play a big part in the grand scheme of things) or the deliciously unique scent that was all Naruto. The boy exuded a sort of charm that Gaara couldn't resist. It brought out the nicer side of Gaara's personality that he had tried to suppress for so long in order to get by in the world. Naruto made him want to let out that part of him, made him want to do things that would make the boy smile. The blond boy truly was a unique creature.

Gaara released a sigh as he felt his eyelids getting heavier. He settled down in the mattress, smiling slightly when Naruto mumbled incoherently in his sleep. Then Gaara closed his eyes and before long he had joined Naruto in the land of slumber.

* * *

When Naruto awoke the next day it was already afternoon. Upon realizing this fact Naruto did not panic. Instead he smiled at his own stroke of brilliance at telling Iruka that he would be spending his Saturday with Haku. Now Naruto didn't need to rush around like a maniac, he could take his time waking up and maybe even hang around until Gaara woke up.

Quietly Naruto made his way into Gaara's kitchen and began hunting for something to eat. To his intense disappointment there was no ramen. There was plenty of healthy fruit but Naruto ignored this in favour of toast – the blond would be damned if he ate fruit or vegetables unless he was faced with starvation.

After that Naruto headed for the living area and watched TV. There wasn't much on so Naruto decided to see if Gaara had anything good in his DVD collection. As the blond ran his finger along the titles his hopes of finding anything sank. Nearly everything was an 18 horror film or something boring to do with law. Since Naruto wasn't in the mood to be scared to death he gave up on looking for films and instead began exploring Gaara's apartment.

The place was incredibly neat and tidy. Legal documents were stacked orderly on Gaara's desk, books were arranged alphabetically on shelves and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere. It was all very impersonal, more like a showroom than a place where a person lived. Naruto wanted to change that but he wasn't sure how to without doing something crazy like painting the walls bright orange. Naruto was very sure that Gaara wouldn't be very pleased if he did that.

Once Naruto had thoroughly explored Gaara's apartment he collapsed in front of the TV. Flicking through the channels he was disappointed to find that there still wasn't anything on. Seriously, what was the point of having 1000 channels if all they ever showed was crap?

Naruto turned the TV off and headed to the bathroom. He was sure Gaara wouldn't mind him using his shower as long as he kept it clean. With that in mind Naruto took extra special care to put everything he used back in its proper place once he had finished with it. After that Naruto headed into the bedroom to change into his clothes.

There wasn't much light inside the bedroom (like the rest of the apartment) because the windows were blacked out. It must have been a brilliant day outside because the sun had managed to fight its way inside the room and provide Naruto with enough light to get dressed.

"Naruto?"

The unexpected sound in the silence made Naruto jump. Spinning around he could just make out Gaara sitting upright in his bed. Naruto placed a hand on his chest, hoping to calm his frantically beating heart. "Don't do that; you nearly scared me half to death!" Naruto could just imagine the grin that was tugging at Gaara's lips. The blond huffed before realizing that Gaara should still be sleeping. "Did I wake you?" he asked with an apologetic air.

"No, I was already contemplating waking up. The fact that you were naked and wet was just encouragement for me to do so."

Naruto blushed. "Pervert!"

Gaara chuckled. "Don't worry, I didn't give you more than a cursory glance to establish that you weren't a certain undesirable someone." When Naruto gave him a blank look Gaara said, "I wouldn't put it past Deidara to break in here and use my shower without permission."

"Really? Wow, that guy must be really desperate to do something as weird as that."

"He is, he's desperate and deluded – a bad combination."

Naruto frowned at the bleakness in Gaara's voice. The blond made his way over and ambled onto the bed. He then gave Gaara a peck on the cheek before saying, "Let's not talk about him anymore; it'll only give him more reason to think you're still in love with him if you're talking about him all the time."

"You're right," Gaara said, giving Naruto a kiss of his own. He then seemed to realize what time it was as he asked, "Why are you still here?"

Naruto smiled brightly as he replied, "I told Iruka that I was spending the day with Haku so I don't need to be home for awhile yet."

"That still doesn't explain why you're still here. You could have woken up and left but you chose to wait. Why?"

Naruto blushed and turned away. "Because I wanted to be here when you woke up."

Gaara was perplexed by his answer. "Why?"

"Because it's something couples do, you know, staying with their partner until they wake up. I know it's a stupid thing to want to do but I just wondered what it would be like. I know it didn't work like it's supposed to but that's because I don't have a lot of patience and I thought you'd still be sleeping for at least another hour so I got up and-"

"Naruto, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Naruto was thrown off track by the interruption. "What?"

"Tonight, after sunset, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Gaara couldn't believe he was doing this. As soon as the words had come out of his mouth he'd regretted it. He didn't do dates, he didn't do quaint evenings in restaurants and candle lit dinners – that just wasn't him at all. But Naruto had looked so pitiful with his eyes averted and his cheeks aflame as he tried to rationalize wanting to do something that happened in normal relationships when both partners were human and one wasn't a vampire. The blond shouldn't have been embarrassed for wanting to do something romantic like that. Watching him had made Gaara feel terrible and he'd been willing to do anything to stop that feeling. Apparently he was willing to go as far as go on a date. Maybe he hadn't slept off the alcohol after all.

The smile that lit up Naruto's face was enough to make Gaara stop regretting opening his big mouth. "I'd love to!" Naruto cried enthusiastically, flinging his arms around Gaara's neck. The blond was practically bouncing on the bed as he released Gaara. "Oh wow, our first proper date. This is going to be awesome! I can introduce you to Iruka and then I can stop lying to him about where I'm going Friday night and he'll stop worrying and I can stop feeling guilty and everything will be _great_!"

"Are you sure you want to introduce me to your guardian?" Gaara asked carefully.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Because if he knows you have a boyfriend he'll be suspicious about what you do on Friday nights. Are you sure you want him prying into your affairs?"

Naruto stopped bouncing. Gaara was right – Iruka would probably assume the worst and become an over-protective parent. It was what had happened when Haku had introduced Zabuza to his parents. Naruto internally shuddered at the thought of Gaara playing with Iruka's memories. That wasn't what he wanted to happen, that wasn't what he wanted at all.

Naruto deflated. He rested his head on Gaara's shoulder, muttering, "Maybe it'd be better if I didn't tell Iruka after all."

Gaara nodded in agreement as he put his arm around Naruto. They sat in silence for a moment, each contemplating their own thoughts. Then Gaara leaned down to kiss the crown of Naruto's head. "I'm going to get dressed now. Stay if you want to but you're free to go home and start coming up with what you're going to tell your guardian."

"I think I'll stay a little bit longer," Naruto said with a small smile that soon turned into a depressed frown. "I don't like lying to Iruka," he admitted.

"And you think your friends like lying to their parents? It may not be fair to lie to them but it is something that must be done. The vampire community prefers to have as few humans as possible know about us. Most of us live a peaceful existence but if we were revealed to the wrong people that peace would be shattered. We would be hunted more viciously than we are now because we are perceived as a threat when most of us that live in the cities are not. Trust me when I say that it is better for your guardian to not know of my existence until he has to."

Naruto nodded, though he still seemed slightly put off my Gaara's answer. He forced a smile onto his face anyway and leaned up to kiss Gaara. The blond then scrambled out of his embrace. "I'll let you get dressed then," he said before heading to the living room.

Gaara watched the boy go silently. He didn't like seeing Naruto upset but he had to follow procedure. Sighing in frustration Gaara climbed out of bed and began searching for clothes. He'd make it up to Naruto tonight though; he'd make sure that this was the best damn date Naruto ever went on. He'd make his blond smile. With that thought in mind Gaara finished dressing and headed into the kitchen for some much needed fresh morning coffee.

* * *

Please Review!


	6. Chapter 6

I think this is probably my favorite chapter so far. Finally we get to see some plot action! I'm still slightly unsure about the ending of the chapter but I'm not sure how to edit it and it's not really integral to the plot so... -shrug-

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Naruto spat out his mouthful of toothpaste before bearing his teeth at the mirror. Satisfied that they were as clean as they could be he replaced his toothbrush and left the bathroom for his bedroom. The outfit he had picked out to wear was laid out neatly on his bed so that he could now change into it.

An impossibly wide grin was plastered on Naruto's face the entire time he was changing. The idea of going on a proper date with Gaara was making him deliriously happy. It was the sort of thing regular couples did and, even though Naruto enjoyed the fact that Gaara was not a normal person, the blond still wanted to be normal. He'd never really been normal before so it would hopefully be a pleasant change.

Naruto checked his watch and the sky outside. The sun was setting – time to head out. Naruto grabbed his favourite pair of trainers and was tying the laces when he was found by Iruka. The older man looked Naruto over with a knowing look. "Are you sure you're just going out for pizza with friends? You look more like you're going on a date."

Naruto grinned as he also took in his appearance. Gaara had said not to wear anything formal but Naruto didn't want to look too casual so he had on his best pair of jeans with a light blue button-down shirt that he hadn't tucked in. His hair was also tamer than usual, though still spiky.

"You caught me, I am going on a date," Naruto admitted with a slightly too obvious hint of pride.

"So who's the lucky girl? Anyone I know?" Iruka inquired playfully.

"It's Haku actually," Naruto said, looking downwards to partly hide his blush. "You see we've been friends for awhile and it only seemed natural to see if perhaps there was a little more than friendship between us."

"Oh," said Iruka, slightly surprised by Naruto's answer. "So this date is to…test the boundaries of your friendship?"

Naruto nodded. He then frowned anxiously. "You're alright with this right?"

Iruka hurriedly shoved a smile onto his face. "Yes, of course I am, Haku's a very nice boy. I was just wondering about Sasuke – won't he feel left out if you two are together? Three's a crowd, as the old saying goes."

Naruto grinned carelessly. "Sasuke will be fine; he has his fangirls if he ever gets lonely."

Iruka snorted at the image. "Well have a nice time then. When can I expect you to be back by?"

"Don't know, not too late I don't think. I'll be back before you go to bed unless you decide to go at some ridiculously early time. Anyway, I better be going or I'll miss my bus – I'm meeting Haku at this restaurant we decided we'd like to eat at."

Iruka watched Naruto shrug into his orange and black jacket. "Naruto." Iruka waited until the blond turned to look at him, hand hovering over his wallet and keys. "Next time, don't lie to me about where you're going alright?"

Naruto flashed Iruka a wide grin over his shoulder. "Technically it wasn't a lie as I probably will end up having pizza with a friend. But I do promise I won't lie again."

"Thank you," Iruka said quietly. Then, as Naruto headed for the front door, "Have fun on your date!"

"I will!" Naruto replied right before he closed the door with a soft click. He sighed as he realized that was another promise he wouldn't be able to keep. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets Naruto set off towards the bus stop.

The plan was that Naruto would take the bus to Gaara's apartment where he would then be escorted to the place they would be dining that evening. Meanwhile Haku would tell his parents that he was going on a date with Naruto and meet Zabuza so that they could have their own secret date. It was an excellent plan that Naruto was very proud of because he was the one who had devised it. Even Sasuke had been impressed by Naruto's stroke of brilliance. As long as they weren't seen by anyone who would automatically tell their guardians that they were with a tall, dark, handsome stranger instead of each other then they were fine.

It was dark when Naruto arrived at Gaara's apartment. His knock to the door was immediately answered by a sexily dressed vampire. Gaara's black jeans were tight-fitting and his black shirt was unbuttoned enough to give Naruto a teasing glimpse of Gaara's chest.

While Naruto drooled Gaara locked up. The vampire smirked as the blond shook himself out of it. The redhead looped his arm around Naruto's waist and led him out of the apartment block into the restaurant district. Naruto tried hard to guess which one Gaara had picked as they wound their way through the streets but eventually failed. He only noticed the small, almost café like, restaurant once Gaara had guided him towards it. They were warmly welcomed by the woman at the door and led (by request from Gaara) to a quiet corner at the back where they wouldn't be disturbed by the few other patrons.

Naruto took his seat and opened up the menu. He scanned the list of foods until he found the ramen section. Naruto grinned, his mind already made up. He closed the menu and looked up to see Gaara watching him closely. Still grinning Naruto asked, "Have you decided?"

Gaara continued to stare for a moment before turning his attention back to his own menu. Moments later the waitress arrived at their table, pen poised and ready over her notebook. "Would you like to order your drinks?"

"A bottle of the house red please," Gaara said without looking up.

The waitress jotted down the order before asking, "Anything else? Would you like to order your meals now or when I come with your drinks?"

"I'll have a coke and miso ramen," Naruto said politely.

Gaara looked up from his menu curiously. "You don't need to order the cheapest dish just because I'm paying you know."

"I'm not, I just want ramen," replied Naruto. "And what do you mean you're paying? I thought we'd be splitting the bill?"

Gaara ignored Naruto in favour of informing the waitress he wanted a steak – rare. He waited until the waitress was out of earshot before asking, "Isn't it customary for the one who asked the other person out on the date to pay?"

"I didn't think it was," Naruto said frowning. "And anyway, you pay for my drinks all the time at Club Secret so it isn't fair for me to ask you to pay for me tonight as well."

"You're not asking – I'm offering," answered Gaara sternly.

"Well I'm not accepting your offer," Naruto said defiantly.

"Do you have a job?" Gaara asked out of the blue.

"Don't change the subject!" Naruto said fiercely, noticing the jump just before he won the argument.

Gaara glared. "Just answer the question."

Grumbling to himself Naruto replied, "No."

"Don't you think it is logical for the one who has a job and gets paid more money than he knows what to do with to pay the bill than the one who has no job or disposable income?"

"I guess," Naruto answered grudgingly.

"Then it is settled: you will allow me to buy you dinner."

"What?! I never agreed to that!"

"You just admitted that it was logical for me to pay for dinner instead of you."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean that I want to do the logical thing does it?"

Gaara growled lightly. "You are impossible."

Naruto smiled smugly. "I know."

It was at that moment the waitress arrived with their drinks. As she laid out the cutlery for their meal the two sat in silence. Only once she was gone did Naruto restart the conversation between them.

"So tell me a bit more about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" Gaara asked as he pulled the bottle of wine from the cooler it had been placed in.

"I don't know. Where are you from? Do you have any family? Do you have any hobbies or weird interests?"

"I read a lot."

"I don't, I haven't really got the patience to sit still for hours staring at tiny writing." When Gaara didn't immediately reply Naruto decided he needed to prompt him. "Well that's something on your hobbies so how about you now tell me something about your family?"

Gaara looked away. "I don't want to talk about my past."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

Gaara flashed him a glare before looking away again. "The past is in the past and it does not do well to dwell on such things."

Naruto squinted at him. "Is that in a book? It sounds like a poem – like Shakespeare."

The corner of Gaara's mouth flickered up into a smirk. "It's not Shakespeare."

After that the redhead was silent. Sensing that he wasn't going to get any more out of Gaara Naruto began a monologue about himself. Usually when he started talking about himself or started sharing his opinions on things people would either tell him to shut up or blank him entirely. It was quite reassuring to Naruto when Gaara did neither of these. He put up the façade of being disinterested but he still managed to nod in all the right places and never once did he take his eyes off Naruto. He carefully watched the way Naruto's lips formed every word, the way his expression changed to mimic his tone, the way his hands sometimes moved to emphasise his point. It was actually quite interesting watching Naruto talk as every word seemed to be filled with the passion of his convictions. He'd make a very good public speaker, Gaara noted idly as he sat back to allow the waitress to place his steak in-front of him.

Naruto rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation as the bowl of ramen was placed before him. He picked up his chopsticks and shouted, "Thank you!" to the waitress as she left them to their meal.

Gaara watched with avid fascination as Naruto inhaled more than ate his ramen. He had never seen a human attack their food with such fervour. It was almost like watching a train crash – it was a horrifying sight but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away.

It took Naruto a few minutes to realize Gaara was staring. When he did he paused in his frantic eating. With noodles still hanging from his mouth he asked, "What?"

"Your eating habits truly are disgusting; I've seen wild animals with more etiquette when attacking their prey."

Naruto frowned as he sucked up his noodles. "I'm not that bad." The look Gaara gave him clearly showed that he was. "Well, okay, maybe I do get a little too excited when I have ramen but it's ramen, the most awesome invention ever!"

Gaara didn't look entirely convinced by Naruto's statement. "I think the invention of modern medicine has been much more beneficial to society than ramen."

"Well I disagree!" Naruto countered before he began to put across his case on why ramen really was the greatest invention ever. Gaara listened intently, openly scoffing at some of Naruto's points. This only infuriated Naruto and made his speech even more impassioned.

By the time Naruto had run out of ideas for his argument Gaara had finished his meal. He leaned back with his wine and watched Naruto down his coke to sooth what must have been a now sore throat. The blond then belched loudly, making many of the other patrons turn to look. He smiled sheepishly at them before returning to inhaling his ramen.

It didn't take long for Naruto to finish his meal. He let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back in his chair, grinning benignly at Gaara. "Now what?"

"Wine?" Gaara asked, indicating the bottle next to him.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were against giving alcoholic drinks to minors?"

"A glass of wine won't push you over the legal limit," Gaara replied offhandedly. He then smirked, adding, "Unless you're a real lightweight."

Sensing the challenge in Gaara's words Naruto grabbed the other wine glass on the table and said, "Hit me."

The two spent the rest of the evening drinking wine and listening to Naruto talk. The blond liked having a captive audience, even if it consisted of only one, and fully enjoyed his time at the small restaurant. He was in such a good mood that he pretended he didn't notice Gaara paying for both of them when they finally decided that Naruto needed to go home.

As they walked down the nearly deserted streets Naruto surreptitiously joined his hand with Gaara's. The vampire went a step further and interlaced their fingers. Naruto smiled to himself, absently resting his head on Gaara's shoulder as they waited to cross a road. "I had a really nice time tonight."

Gaara nodded, silent as the traffic light turned from red to green. They crossed the road and turned left towards the bus station. The large building was still bright and inviting, though there were less people than there were during the day. The commuters walked about with a much more relaxed ease seeing as they had nowhere to rush off to. It was with the same relaxed ease that Naruto and Gaara moved to where the bus times were displayed.

"When is your bus coming?" Gaara asked, his eyes scanning the routes displayed.

Naruto looked from the clock overhead to the board. "Not for another hour," he answered.

"It would be quicker to walk," Gaara commented as he gazed around the station.

"Yeah but it isn't really safe to be walking on some of these streets at night."

It took Naruto a minute to realise that Gaara was giving him the 'are you really that stupid' look. "I'm a vampire with superhuman strength – I can easily snap the neck of anyone who tries to mug you."

Naruto released an embarrassed chuckle before realising what Gaara was implying. "But you live back in the centre – it wouldn't be fair to make you walk all the way to my house and then retrace your steps."

Gaara easily brushed his worries aside. "I have super speed and am not tired that easily so do not concern yourself with such things."

"Well if you're sure…"

Gaara didn't answer as he started towards the exit; he merely glanced over his shoulder to make sure Naruto was following. The blond soon caught up to him, rejoining their hands as they exchanged the still lively city centre for the dead suburbs. There was nobody else on the street at this time; the only signs of life they saw were the cats that fled from the roads as the odd car passed them by.

As they walked Naruto once again began to talk about whatever came into his head. Gaara listened intently as normal while still maintaining a certain level of vigilance. For all he knew there was someone lurking in the shadows just waiting for him to drop his guard so that they could pounce. Gaara knew that it was unlikely there would be anyone as most of those who preyed on the weak (for money or for blood) were drawn to heart of the city. Still, there could be a newcomer in town who was hungry and couldn't wait to find his prey in the darkest of the back alleys. Gaara was pretty sure he'd be able to take whoever it was in a fair fight but the advantage of surprise could easily tilt the scales. It was better to be safe than sorry.

It was because thoughts such as these were running through his head that when Naruto abruptly stopped talking and moving Gaara tensed defensively. His sharp eyes darted about in search of the threat Naruto had seen but found none.

Gaara turned to question Naruto's behaviour and found that the blond was staring at a pair of wrought iron gates that were held together by a heavy chain and padlock. "What's wrong?" he asked when the blond continued to stare.

"I forgot that this route led past the cemetery," Naruto answered distractedly. He then furrowed his brows in thought, finally turning to look at Gaara. "Do you think you could get us over those gates?"

Gaara regarded the gates which were much greater in height than him and were topped with decoratively deadly spikes. "Easily."

Before Naruto could blink Gaara had swept him off his feet, run towards the brick wall next to the gates and (carrying the blond bridal-style) jumped up onto the apex of the wall before jumping back down to land gracefully on the other side. It had happened so quickly that Naruto was moderately disorientated when he was put back onto his feet. He stumbled slightly, grabbing onto Gaara for support. The vampire held him close, making sure he had regained his balance before allowing him free of his arms.

Naruto looked around the graveyard but was unable to see anything beyond the range of the streetlamps' light. Beyond that there was utter darkness as the cemetery was off-limits after dark. If he wanted to get to the place he wanted he'd have to do it by memory alone. That was alright though – he knew this route well. He'd walked along this path on the day of the funeral as well as the numerous visits afterwards. The emotional pain he had been in when he had walked along this path had forever etched the wretched route into his memory so that he would never forget it.

Naruto took Gaara's hand and used the light available to move to the main path. Gaara allowed himself to be lead into what for a human must be pitch black. He wondered if Naruto had lost his mind seeing as the teen was trying to take him somewhere when he was, effectively, blind. Gaara didn't voice his concerns though. His keen vampire eyes could see Naruto's face. It was burdened with a deep sadness that Gaara had never imagined he would see on the face of such a usually joyous person. Naruto was obviously intent on taking him somewhere even though it caused him great pain to do so. For now Gaara would follow without protest; he would wait as patiently as possible for Naruto's explanation.

The clouds were grey and threatening rain. Every face surrounding the open grave was stony as the onlookers fought back tears. He stood at the front with Iruka knelt beside him, his small frame wracked with sobs. He watched as the coffins of his loved ones were lowered into the ground forever. Then he was lead away from this place of misery back towards the gates that loomed like giants over his childish form. He counted every grave that he passed, wanting to remember the exact place where they were hiding because they couldn't be gone – they couldn't possibly be gone- they were just pretending. When he returned the game would be over and they'd embrace him like they always did when one of their pranks upset him.

Naruto stopped and turned to the grave at the side of the path. This was the one and (just like every other time he had visited) he waited for them to appear and say they were sorry for playing this horrid joke on him. When nothing happened he felt his childish hope once again cruelly extinguished by reality. They were gone and they were never coming back.

"I know you didn't want to meet my step-father but I thought you might want to meet my real parents," Naruto said after standing before the place he was sure the grave was for a few minutes of absolute silence. He held his hand out to the headstone and said, "Gaara, meet my mom and dad. Mom, Dad, this is Gaara – he's a vampire and my boyfriend."

Gaara squinted at the elaborate writing on the stone. _'Here lies husband and wife: Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki; devoted parents and pillars of the community.'_

Gaara did a double-take of the first name on the stone. _Minato Namikaze._ It couldn't be – it wasn't possible. He knew that name for all the wrong reasons. That name was famous among the vampire community. Naruto must have got the wrong grave, an easy thing to do in the dark. "Minato Namikaze was your father?"

"Yes. For some reason my mother kept her second name and gave it to me," Naruto said, wistfully remembering his mother's laughter and his father's proud smile.

Gaara stared at the blond in horror. "You're Namikaze's son?"

Hearing the disbelief in Gaara's voice Naruto turned to look at the place he thought the vampire's face was located. "Did you know my father?"

"All vampires know of Namikaze. He was a Vampire Hunter who slaughtered many of my kind. He was a dangerous man that gained many enemies quickly. He…" Gaara trailed off, tensing with fear as his mind connected all the dots.

Meanwhile Naruto was left standing dumbstruck. His father had been a vampire hunter? He had never known that. His father had killed vampires – had killed people like Gaara. That couldn't possibly be true could it? His father had been much too kind-hearted to kill anyone. Gaara must have confused his father with someone else. He quickly told Gaara that – told him that he was wrong about his father. He wanted to scream at Gaara, to make him stop spewing these lies. He managed to contain his screams but the tears still fell. Being near his parent's grave always made him overly emotional.

Gaara waited until Naruto had finished his short outburst before gripping both of the teen's shoulders and making sure he was looking directly into Gaara's eyes. "Naruto, I am taking you back to your apartment right now." Gaara drew on his hidden power so that his words were laced with hypnotic persuasion. He didn't want to waste time arguing with the blond because now that he realized Naruto was in danger Gaara wanted to get him out of the graveyard as quickly as possible before trouble arrived.

Naruto's anxiety was calmed slightly by Gaara's words. The words seemed to wash over him like the waves of the ocean, hinting that if he listened he would be taken somewhere he wanted to be. Even though he wanted to ask about his father he could wait until they were wherever Gaara wanted them to be.

Gaara felt Naruto's shoulders relax under his hands. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to pick Naruto up when he felt it. At one time the presence had been comforting but now it only filled him with dread. He had been a fool to organize this date with Naruto. He had brought the boy out into the open, had offered him up to this predator. He had been an idiot and not taken the matter seriously enough. He only hoped Naruto wouldn't pay for his mistakes.

The crunch of a breaking twig was his way of announcing himself. Gaara turned around to see Deidara a few feet away from him. The blond smirked, his hands casually shoved into the pockets of his coat as he approached. "Long time no see Gaara."

Gaara snarled at him. "I thought I told you to stay away from me."

"No, you said never to _call_ you again; there's a big difference between calling and seeing, hmm?"

Gaara's posture was slowly becoming more of a crouch as he readied himself to pounce. He was not going to let Deidara hurt Naruto. He had broken the spell he had woven over the blond human and hoped that when his wits returned Naruto would run while Gaara fought off Deidara. Then again, Naruto wasn't known for taking the sensible option. Gaara just hoped the teen wouldn't do something utterly stupid while a mentally unstable vampire who was out for revenge was present.

"If you don't leave right now I swear I'll rip out all of your organs while you're still breathing and feed them to you," Gaara hissed, malice etched deep into his voice.

"Sorry baby but I can't leave when I have unfinished business to attend to."

It was at that point that Naruto plucked up the courage to ask the obvious question. "Gaara, what's going on?"

Both vampires turned to face him. Naruto couldn't see their stares but he definitely could feel them. Then a hand reached out to tightly grasp his. He felt Gaara move to his side, his hand squeezing Naruto's reassuringly while he manoeuvred himself so that he was blocking Deidara's view of the human teen.

Deidara noticed Gaara's movements and sneered at the redhead. "How disgusting. You know who he is – who his father is – and yet you try to protect him when any decent vampire would have ripped out his heart. Disgusting."

"I don't care what you think; if you don't leave right now then I'll make this cemetery your resting place," Gaara hissed venomously.

Deidara chuckled, seemingly amused by Gaara's words. "I'm not intimidated by you Gaara. Normally I might not be as strong as you but tonight you have a handicap. That filthy human is going to stop you fighting to your full ability as you'll be too worried about his safety to go all out. Besides that, I doubt you want him to see your _other_ face, hmm? I bet if he saw your inner vampire he'd abandon you and become a Hunter just like his father." Deidara's tone suddenly became hypnotic, soothing. "If you protect the boy you'll only end up getting hurt. I don't want to see you hurt, Gaara, I want you to be happy. Let me kill him so that we can move on. Once he's dead things can go back to being like they use to be. We'll be together again – we'll be happy. Don't you want that?"

"No," was Gaara's curt reply.

Deidara frowned, not liking Gaara's answer. "I know our relationship wasn't perfect-"

"You're damn right it wasn't. And do you know why? Because you loved the person you thought I was instead of the real me. Things haven't changed as far as I'm concerned and I refuse to indulge you in your pathetic fantasies. Now get out of my life before I really lose my temper."

Deidara clenched his fists in anger, the blue-grey colour of his eyes slowly melting into bloody red. "This is all the human's fault – he's turned you against me! He's poisoned your mind with lies in order to hurt me more. I'm going to make him pay; I'm going to make him writhe in agony and beg for death before I send him to hell."

With that Deidara lunged at Naruto. Gaara intercepted him, bringing him down onto the hard earth where they began to grapple. As he tried to subdue the blond trying desperately to escape him, Gaara noticed that Naruto was still standing less than a meter away from them. With a growl Gaara shouted, "Run!" hoping desperately that Naruto would listen to him for once.

Since Naruto was only human and didn't have excellent night-vision he was unable to see the struggle going on between the two vampires. He could hear it though; the grunts and the growls easily punctured the silence of the night. He was entranced by the sounds of the battle he couldn't see and was completely unaware of the threat to his safety until Gaara's shout shook him out of his stupor.

As realisation struck Naruto's fight-or-flight instincts were activated. His fear made him want to run away from the unseen menace that threatened him but he couldn't leave Gaara to fight the monster on his own; if only he could see what was happening he'd know how he could help.

Naruto's dilemma was soon ended when Deidara gained the upper hand. Straddling Gaara's waist Deidara dealt the other vampire a blow that left Gaara stunned. Taking the opening, Deidara dived for Naruto, knocking the boy to the floor. Naruto instantly began to kick wildly in order to try and repel the monster. The teen might as well not have bothered seeing as Deidara hardly felt any of the blows. Deidara reached out to deal his own damage and would have succeeded if Gaara hadn't pulled him off Naruto and into a chokehold.

Naruto hurriedly scrabbled away from the violent sounds, his heart beating madly. Through the darkness he could see a pair of amber eyes with star shaped pupils staring at him. A new type of fear spread through him as the white of Gaara's fangs flashed through the darkness. This wasn't the fear of the unknown or the fear that came from being unable to help a friend, this was the stab of pure terror one felt when they faced something that was the embodiment of darkness and evil.

The guttural growl Gaara released made Naruto's mind go blank with panic. "_Leave. Now!_"

This time Naruto didn't resist the urge to run. He stumbled wildly between the graves, tripping repeatedly over stones and potholes. Every time he fell down the teen immediately picked himself back up again and continued running. He didn't know what had happened to Gaara but he knew that it was a bad time to be around him right now. Those cruel amber eyes kept appearing in Naruto's mind, spurring him on towards the exit.

Naruto wasn't sure for how long he had been running when he reached a wall that was too high to climb. Pressing his palms against the cold bricks he carefully followed the wall along the perimeter of the cemetery in hope that he would come across a way out.

After a few minutes of following the wall without success Naruto began to panic again. He sped up his pace to almost a run, praying desperately that he would find a way out soon.

Naruto's prayers were answered shortly in the form of a tree that grew not that far away from the wall. With a large amount of difficulty Naruto climbed the tree and from there jumped onto the top of the wall. He precariously moved his body so that it dangled on the street side of the wall. Then he dropped down to the pavement as carefully as possible, letting out a relieved breath now that he was out of the way of immediate harm.

Allowing himself a few minutes to recuperate Naruto pressed his back against the wall and slid down into a crouch. His mind buzzed with questions and worries that demanded attention. What should he do now? Should he stay here or go home? If he stayed here Deidara might be able to find him. But if he went home and he was followed then he'd be putting Iruka at risk, something Naruto was adamant he wouldn't do.

Naruto looked up and down the street. He recognised the street name that was illuminated by a nearby light. From here it wasn't that long a walk until he was home. Gaara had told him to run and he was probably expecting him to go home. If he was where Gaara expected him to be then the vampire would be able to contact him and tell him that he was alright and perhaps answer a few of Naruto's questions. With that in mind Naruto pushed himself to his feet, setting off warily down the street.

The next few minutes were tense as Naruto kept to the best lit parts of the footpath. His ears strained for sound as his eyes darted about for any sign of movement. He knew he was exposed and vulnerable and didn't like it but didn't see how he could change that fact so he carried on regardless.

Finally Naruto reached his apartment building. It was with great relief that he made his way up those stairs, along the corridor, and into his home. He wandered through to the living room, stopping when he spotted Iruka. Naruto's guardian looked from Naruto to his watch then back again disapprovingly. "What time do you call this?" was Iruka's rhetorical question.

Naruto searched for a convincing lie but his mad panic earlier had drained him of all his energy. He couldn't come up with a lie so he told the truth. "I was coming home when I passed the cemetery. I went to visit their graves…"

The disapproving look instantly vanished from Iruka's face, quickly replaced by one of concern. "Are you alright Naruto?"

Iruka's concern stirred something in Naruto and he suddenly felt like he was about to cry. Iruka sensed the change and rushed over to hug the distressed blond. Naruto accepted the embrace without words, trying with all his might to hold back the tears which threatened to flow.

"It's alright Naruto, I understand," Iruka whispered soothingly. "There's nothing wrong with mourning your parents' death. It's alright to cry."

They stood like that in silence for a few more minutes, Naruto gripping tightly to Iruka's shirt as he fought to regain control. He'd promised himself a long time ago that he wouldn't cry in front of Iruka; only in private would he ever shed tears for his dearly departed parents.

Iruka let the blond go after awhile, guiding him towards a chair. He gently indicated Naruto should take off his shoes and coat. Naruto obliged and handed them over so Iruka could put them away. Once that task was done Iruka returned to Naruto's side. "Is there anything you want to tell me Naruto?" Naruto shook his head without saying anything. "Is there anything I can get you?" Another shake. "Do you just want to go to bed?" A nod. "Alright then. If you do want anything, if you need an ear to listen, I'll be here for you. You know that right?" Naruto nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. Iruka helplessly returned the strained smile. "Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight," Naruto replied, sharing with Iruka a final embrace before he went to bed.

Once Naruto was within the safety of his bed, his duvet wrapped around him snugly, he began to wonder where Gaara was. Had he won the fight with Deidara? Was he right now on his way over here to meet Naruto? Or had he been defeated and was now being tortured by the other vampire?

That last thought made Naruto's blood run cold. If it turned out that he had fled like a coward and left Gaara to his fate then Naruto would hate himself forever. It shouldn't have mattered that Gaara's eyes had changed colour. Gaara was Naruto's boyfriend and only the lowest kind of scum abandoned the ones they cared about when they were in need of help. Even if Naruto would have been next to useless he should have stayed. If Gaara died out there, all alone except for the remains of the deceased, then Naruto would truly never forgive himself.

With thoughts like these swimming through his head it was a long time before Naruto collapsed into the world of dreamless sleep.

* * *

Please Review!


	7. Chapter 7

Rejoice people for exams are over! Which means that I have more time to write and so hopefully I can get the next chapter out sooner. I'm aiming for the 28th of July which is going to be the first GaaNaru appreciation day but if I can't make that deadline then it won't be long afterwards. Also (for those who read Perfect Punishment) the next chapter of that should be out soon too.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Deidara broke free of Gaara's chokehold and scrambled away from him. The two regarded each other with fangs bared, muscles taught in anticipation of the next confrontation.

Deidara discretely searched for Naruto out of the corner of his eye. Gaara did the same, smirking victoriously when he saw neither hide nor hair of his precious blond human. "Looks like your prey escaped you," he taunted.

Deidara snarled at him, stopping his search. "It doesn't matter; I'll get him later when you're not around to interfere."

"That's not going to happen. I gave you your warnings earlier; I'm not going to let you leave here alive."

Deidara tilted his head to the side, a disbelieving sneer on his face. "Even without the human here to distract you, you can't kill me Gaara. I'm not going to fight you properly until I get rid of that human and his disgusting influence over you. Once that's gone I know you'll come back to me."

"You keep telling yourself that," Gaara said mockingly before suddenly pouncing on Deidara.

Deidara struggled, trying hard to ward off the punches aimed at his face. He kept his eyes peeled for an opening and made his move when Gaara's guard dropped a fraction too low. The blow threw Gaara off-balance, sending him to the floor. By the time he was back on his feet Deidara was nothing more than a dot of blond heading to the cemetery's exit. With an angered growl Gaara charged after him, wanting to put an end to his ex before he caused Gaara any more grief.

The chase went on for what seemed like forever. Deidara headed back into the city and that was where Gaara lost him. With an infuriated snarl Gaara punched the wall of the dingy alley, leaving an ugly blemish in the smooth brick. He had let him escape and now Deidara was free to come back and terrorise Naruto whenever he pleased. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Gaara took a deep breath and told himself to relax. He needed to be calm right now. Deidara was clever and Gaara would need to keep a level head if he was going to outsmart him. He needed to find out how Deidara knew that Naruto was Namikaze's son. It was obvious that the blond vampire had only discovered this recently otherwise he would have eradicated Naruto years ago. Somebody in the city must have given him the information. Gaara needed to find out what other intelligence Deidara had on Naruto so that he could accurately assess how much danger the blond human was in. Only once he'd done that would he know the correct way to handle the situation.

Now that he was fully calmed Gaara's eyes changed back into their normal teal green. The vampire left the alley and headed home. He wanted to know if Naruto was safe but couldn't go over to his apartment without running the risk of leading Deidara right to the blond teen. That was why he was going to do the next best thing: he was going to call him. The only problem with this plan was that Gaara didn't have Naruto's phone number. He knew someone who did though.

"Hello, Zabuza speaking, how may I help you?"

"It's Gaara."

Zabuza immediately dropped the polite tone. "Hey Gaara, how did your date go? Did your loud-mouthed blond let you get anywhere with him tonight or were you once again denied?"

Gaara growled lightly. "I don't have time for this. Get your lover to call Naruto's house and make sure he's there."

"You mean you didn't watch him go inside? What happened, did you have an argument or something? I guess that's why you sound like you've got a busted lip."

"We did not have a fight – I got hit whilst holding down Deidara so that Naruto could escape the bastard," Gaara hissed, his patience quickly evaporating.

"Deidara didn't like that you'd moved on then," Zabuza said with a small amount of amusement in his tone.

Gaara said nothing for a moment before quietly asking, "Did you know that Naruto was Namikaze's son?"

"Namikaze as in the Hunter Namikaze?" Zabuza asked with enough shock in his voice to prove that he hadn't known.

"That's what it said on the headstone."

"No wonder Deidara wants him dead then," Zabuza muttered quietly as the gears in his head began to turn. "Don't worry, I'll get Haku to call the brat and then to call you back."

"Also see if you can find out where Deidara got his information from. I want to know if I need to put Naruto under 24 hour surveillance or not," instructed Gaara.

Zabuza chuckled lightly. "I don't think the kid would like that."

"I don't care if he likes it or not – if it'll keep him alive then I'll do it!" Gaara growled fiercely.

"That's the first time I've heard you talk about wanting to protect someone, you must really like this human," Zabuza mused, amusement once again permeating his voice.

Gaara was silent as he hung up. Zabuza was right – this was the first time he'd openly expressed a wish to protect someone. That was because he'd never felt as attached to anyone as he did to Naruto. The boy may infuriate him most of the time but there was something about his smile that struck a chord inside Gaara. His smile made Gaara believe that maybe there was some goodness left in the world. Naruto's smile stirred Gaara's spirits and made him want to believe in the love Naruto offered him. That was why Gaara needed to protect Naruto – for his sake as much as the blond teen's.

While he waited for Haku to return his call Gaara fished out the first aid kit. His fight with Deidara had been more of a skirmish than a battle, leaving him with only a few minor cuts and scrapes that would most likely be healed by tomorrow. Still, it was better to make sure all the cuts were clean than to risk infection.

Once Gaara had finished patching himself up he restlessly paced around the living room, urging the phone to ring. When it did Gaara dived forward and managed to pick it up before the first ring had ended. "Was he there?" he asked anxiously.

Haku chuckled at Gaara's eagerness. "Don't worry, Naruto made it home in one piece."

Gaara's tensed shoulders dropped in relief. "What did he say to you?"

"Iruka was the one who picked up the phone. He said that Naruto had visited his parents' grave on the way home and that had upset him, even if he had tried to hide it. I would have talked to Naruto but apparently he'd gone to bed and Iruka didn't want to disturb him. I'll visit him in the morning to make sure he's still alright."

"Good. Tell him that I'll visit tomorrow night and answer his questions. Tell him that…" Gaara trailed off, not exactly sure what he wanted Haku to tell Naruto. He wanted to say he was sorry for getting Naruto into this mess, for drawing Deidara's attention towards him. It was his fault that Naruto's life was at risk. He hadn't planned for it to happen, hadn't wanted it to happen, and he was sorry that it had.

Somehow Haku managed to understand what Gaara wanted to say. "Don't worry, I'll tell him," he reassured gently. "Goodnight Gaara."

Gaara hung up instead of replying. Naruto was safe for tonight; Deidara wouldn't have been stalking them if he knew where Naruto lived. With a relieved sigh Gaara collapsed into his comfy chair. At least for tonight he could relax and not worry about Naruto. Tomorrow, though, might be a very different story…

* * *

It was late morning when Naruto awoke. He staggered haphazardly out of his bed to the kitchen, his stomach grumbling impatiently. Iruka laughed when he saw Naruto's dishevelled appearance. "Sleep well?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Not really," Naruto mumbled as he peered into the bread bin.

Iruka quickly sobered up. Carefully, he asked, "Did you have a nightmare? About your parents maybe?"

Naruto froze. He did have a nightmare last night and it did involve one of his parents but not in the way Iruka was expecting. The beginning of Naruto's nightmare had been influenced by his guilt about running away from the fight and so he dreamed of Gaara getting beaten by a man made of shadows. But then Gaara's eyes had changed, become a demonic amber colour, and he had killed the shadow man before turning his sights on Naruto. Dream Gaara had advanced slowly towards him, his eyes full of murderous intent. Naruto had wanted to run but his legs hadn't responded to his commands. He'd thought he was going to die but then Gaara had dropped down dead. Naruto's dad had been standing behind the vampire, knife in hand. The man who Naruto had inherited his looks from had then held out the knife to the blond teen and said, "Now it's your turn." For some reason Naruto had taken the knife. Itachi and Zabuza had appeared out of nowhere, their backs to him, and Naruto had been about to plunge the knife into them just before he woke up.

Naruto suppressed a shiver. He couldn't believe he'd actually managed to go back to sleep after that horrible nightmare.

Realising that Iruka was awaiting a reply Naruto forced a smile onto his face. The effort showed so Naruto dropped the pretence. He turned his back to Iruka, slotting the bread into the toaster and pushing down the lever. "I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, just loud enough for Iruka to hear.

Iruka sighed. "Please talk to me Naruto, you'll feel better if you do."

Naruto ignored Iruka in favour of staring forlornly at the toaster. Iruka didn't know what he was talking about. If Naruto told him about his nightmare then he'd have to admit that he'd lied about who he went out with the night before. Iruka's disappointment in him would make Naruto feel worse, not better.

Iruka sensed Naruto's reluctance to talk. He felt sad that Naruto – his adopted son – couldn't talk to him. He knew that most teenagers didn't talk to their parents but he still felt disappointed that there was some secret the usually cheerful and open blond couldn't share with him. It made Iruka question his parenting skills, made him wonder what had happened to change their open relationship.

Finding that no particular event stood out, Iruka finally asked, "If you're not going to tell me what's going on will you at least talk to somebody else about it?"

Naruto stared absently into space for a moment. "After breakfast I'll go to Haku's house."

Iruka nodded, only slightly reassured by this. Haku was a lovely boy but the idea of him dating Naruto was still quite an alien concept to Iruka. He had always assumed that Haku, Naruto and Sasuke were nothing but best friends who would forever stay that way. The idea that there was more to their relationship made Iruka…suspicious. After supposedly going on a date with Haku Naruto had come home a wreck. Perhaps Naruto wasn't being as truthful as he should be about his activities.

Iruka dismissed that notion quickly. The change in Naruto's behaviour had thrown him off centre slightly; now was not the time to be making accusations without proof, it was the time for allowing Naruto to try and deal with his problems on his own. He was nearly a man after all, he should be allowed to try and tackle his own problems. And if he failed then Iruka would be there to pick up the pieces just like every other parent who allows their child to wander off into the wild sea of the real world.

With a bitter smile Iruka left the kitchen for the living room where he would sit and wait diligently to pick up the pieces.

* * *

Before Naruto had left he'd called ahead to make sure that it was alright to come round to Haku's. Since it was he had set off and by the time he got there Sasuke had already arrived. The three had quickly grabbed drinks and holed themselves up in Haku's room so that they could participate in their secret discussion.

"I talked to Gaara last night," Haku began.

"Was he alright?" Naruto asked hurriedly, his eyes burning with anticipation and concern.

"He's fine," Haku replied and was glad to see the concern be replaced by relief. Still, he chose his next words carefully. "He was worried about you though. What happened last night?"

Sasuke leaned forward, also eager to hear what Naruto had to say. Naruto, however, sighed and his shoulders slumped. He really didn't want to have to recount the events of the night before. Nevertheless, it was wrong of him to keep his friends in the dark; he needed to tell them.

"Gaara and I went to dinner. We had a great time together and when it got late he offered to walk me home seeing as my bus wouldn't arrive for ages. On the way we passed the graveyard where my parents are buried." Naruto swallowed hard, forcing himself to continue. "I showed him their shared grave and he said that my dad was a Vampire Hunter. Then somebody turned up – I'm guessing it was Gaara's ex – and confirmed his story. Then the two started fighting and Gaara's eyes turned amber and I ran home."

"His eyes turned amber?" Sasuke questioned, a hint of something that almost resembled fear in his voice.

"That's right," Naruto replied, nodding.

"Then it's a good job you got out of there then."

"Why?" Naruto asked even though he thought he knew what Sasuke was going to say.

"Because when a vampire's eye colour changes it means that they're accessing their hidden powers. When you're changed into a vampire your speed and strength naturally becomes greater than the average human's. Along with heightened senses these are the only powers a vampire has when they're in their normal state. They have other hidden talents though, ones that drain you of your energy more quickly. The other side affect of using these talents is that because you're drawing power from a primal source your behaviour becomes more instinctual, more…beastly. If you'd stayed, Naruto, Gaara might have accidentally ended up attacking you."

Naruto stared silently at Sasuke, his eyes wider than normal. On the one hand he didn't have to feel guilty about running away from the fight since it turned out to have been the smart thing to do. On the other hand he was now slightly afraid of Gaara and what he could do. Well, technically that wasn't true. He had been scared of Gaara last night but had tried to convince himself that he was being silly. Now that he knew he wasn't he was apprehensive about seeing Gaara again.

"How come I haven't heard about any of this before?" asked Haku.

"Probably because Zabuza didn't want you to know that he could be dangerous if he lost control. The only reason I know is because Itachi was forced to explain it after he nearly raped me in the middle of the park."

"He did what?!" Haku cried aghast.

Sasuke gave a half-shrug. "We were attacked one night by a group of vampires who forced Itachi to get serious. Once he'd beaten them senseless he bit and started undressing me. I managed to get a good punch in that brought him back to his senses. He was apologizing for weeks afterwards."

Even though Sasuke was acting as if the incident had been nothing Naruto had known his friend long enough to be able to tell when Sasuke was hiding his real emotions. The look in Sasuke's eyes told Naruto that his raven-haired friend was still haunted by the incident. Yet he still remained close to Itachi. Naruto wondered why that was.

"So how come you're still going out with him? Aren't you worried the same thing will happen again?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "He hadn't been turned for very long back then; he has more control now so a repeat performance is not going to occur."

Naruto looked sceptical. "You can't be sure of that though." Then another thought hit him. "Hey, how long _have _you been dating your brother?"

"Of course I can't be sure. I also can't be sure that I won't be hit by a bus going home or that the sun really will rise tomorrow. Itachi's accessed his other powers on numerous occasions and nothing's happened after that one time. I trust Itachi's control; he is a perfectionist after all and anything less than absolute control is not good enough for him." Sasuke neglected to comment on Naruto's other remark.

"That is true," Haku mused thoughtfully. "So your evaluation of the situation is that it's just another one of those things you have to deal with when you date a vampire?"

Sasuke nodded. "Exactly."

Naruto frowned in confusion. "Wait a minute, aren't you guys worried that we hang around with a bunch of vampires that could go psycho on us at any moment?"

"Of course we're worried Naruto but if we stopped doing everything we enjoy because there's a chance we might get hurt then we'd never do anything would we?" Haku argued.

Naruto crossed his arms, his head bowed in thought. Haku was right of course. When he was younger Naruto always climbed trees even though the adults told him not to because he might hurt himself. Naruto never listened to what they said and still continued to climb trees even after he fell and twisted his ankle. This situation was no different to that one. He already knew that Gaara was dangerous, the only reason he was currently fretting was that he had been given proof – he had fallen out of the tree. That didn't mean he was going to stop climbing though. He could still date Gaara, he'd just have to be more careful around him when the redhead got into a fight.

Naruto raised his head and grinned at his friends. "You guys are right – nothing's changed so we shouldn't act like it has."

The two dark haired teens smiled back at the blond, nodding in agreement.

After a minute of comfortable silence a question came to Naruto. "Hey, do you guys know anything about Vampire Hunters?"

Haku and Sasuke looked at each other. Sasuke shrugged when Haku raised a questioning eyebrow. Turning back to Naruto, Haku replied, "We thought Vampire Hunters were either something they invented for films or were people who lived centuries ago. Nowadays vampires are myths so I would have thought there would only be fake Hunters who've seen too many horror flicks."

Naruto nodded, not saying anything.

Seeing his friend drifting away from him Haku forced a smile onto his face and said, "Ask Gaara about it tonight, I'm sure he'll have answers seeing as he was the one who brought it up."

Naruto nodded, smiling slightly at Haku's attempt to stop him dwelling. Tonight he would ask Gaara that question and he would get his answers. The only question was: would he like the answers or not?

* * *

Naruto absently tapped his pencil against the open page of his notepad. He was supposed to be thinking up points for his history essay but his mind was elsewhere. The sun had set almost an hour ago and Gaara still hadn't arrived. Naruto was anxious for the redhead to get there and the waiting was driving him insane; he was barely resisting the temptation to pace.

Naruto had spent most of the day at Haku's but had returned home for a tense dinner with Iruka. The fact that Naruto had been unable to talk about his problems still lingered between them. It had been quite clear that Iruka wanted to talk about it but was resisting the urge. Instead there was small talk that quickly died away into uneasy silence.

Naruto had gone to bed early, claiming to still be tired. He'd left the curtains open with his bedside lamp on and taken up residence underneath the window. Then he'd been forced to wait and we all know that waiting wasn't one of Naruto's strengths.

The quiet tapping on the window made Naruto jump. He scrabbled to his feet, throwing aside his notebook. Turning around Naruto saw that Gaara was perched precariously on the ledge outside his window, his lips quirked upwards in his version of a smile.

With a relieved sigh Naruto opened the window and stepped back to allow Gaara in. The vampire slipped through the open space easily before closing and locking the window behind him. As he turned back to face Naruto his jaw connected with the blond teen's fist. Gaara reeled, his hand snapping up to his face.

Naruto matched the glare the redhead sent. "That's for taking forever to get here and making me worry, bastard." Naruto then threw his arms around Gaara's waist and buried his face in the vampire's shoulder.

After a moment of stunned silence Gaara was able to comprehend Naruto's actions. He wrapped one arm around the blond and moved the hand from his cheek into Naruto's hair. He placed a kiss on the crown of Naruto's head before whispering, "I had to make sure that I wasn't being followed and leading Deidara straight to you."

At the mention of the blond vampire's name Naruto quickly looked up. "What happened last night? You weren't hurt were you?"

"Coward ran away before I could kill him," Gaara said bitterly.

Naruto frowned slightly at this. "Do you need to kill him? Can't you hand him over to the Vampire Police or something?"

"Such a thing does not exist. The only body that enforces vampire law is the Council and they do not regularly intervene by themselves. Even if I brought him before them an adequate verdict would not be given. I'm sure they would grant me a restraining order but they would not stop him from killing you."

"Why not?"

"Because the law says you must remain inconspicuous – there is no specific clause that says you must not kill humans. Humans are seen as lesser beings by the majority of vampires – if vampires who kill vampires are not always vindictively persecuted then why should a vampire who kills a human be punished?"

"There was a lot of lawyer-speak in there but I think I get what you're trying to say: that killing your ex is the only way to stop him killing me?"

"Correct."

Naruto sighed, resting his head on Gaara's shoulder. "I wish there was another way to do this besides trading his life for mine."

Gaara's eyes widened at Naruto's statement. "After all he's done you still think he deserves mercy? He's a deluded psychopath who is trying to kill you. If he finds you he won't be merciful. He'll kill anyone who tries to protect you – trust me when I say he'll stop at nothing to see you dead."

Naruto looked up, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why is he so hell bent on doing me in? I know he's still in love with you but still, isn't this a little extreme?"

"It's like I said earlier: he's insane and thinks that you're the reason I don't return his bizarre affection. Once you're out of the picture he thinks I'll go running back to him." Gaara paused for a second, his eyes not meeting Naruto's. "There's also another reason he wants you dead."

"What is it?" Naruto asked, curious as to why Gaara wasn't meeting his gaze.

"Namikaze killed Sasori, Deidara's former lover."

Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "My dad…He killed someone?"

"Namikaze killed numerous vampires; there was much rejoicing when he was murdered."

"Murdered? I thought it was a car crash that killed my parents?" Naruto said in alarm as he was pelted with these new, unexpected facts.

Gaara hesitated. Naruto deserved to know the truth but the teen was already beginning to panic and he hadn't heard the worst part of it. Gaara gently dragged his fingers through Naruto's hair in what he hoped was a calming gesture. The blond teen's eyes remained wild though so Gaara took a deep breath and bit the bullet. "It was made to look like a car accident. In reality a group of vampires led by Deidara set out to avenge those who Namikaze had killed. For some reason he'd been inactive for years so he was hard to find but they managed in the end. They killed Namikaze and the woman he was with. If they'd known he had a son they would have killed you too before you became a Hunter like him."

Naruto visibly paled. Fearing that the other's legs might give out under him Gaara scooped up the blond and carried him over to the bed. Naruto didn't protest when Gaara picked him up or when he was placed on the edge of the bed. He also remained silent as Gaara sat beside him and wrapped an arm around the blond teen's waist. Knowing that Naruto was busy thinking, Gaara said nothing as he watched the blond try to come to terms with the newly revealed events of the past.

Naruto's mind reeled as it tried to process all the new information that had been presented to it. To know one's parents were dead was a hard enough grievance to bear, but to find out that they had been murdered and the killers had not been punished? The idea made Naruto feel sick and angry at the injustice. Worse was the fact that their deaths had been _celebrated_. How anyone could celebrate the loss of two of the world's most amazing people Naruto didn't know. Then again, until yesterday he hadn't known that his dad was a Vampire Hunter. Had his dad been living a double life or had his mom known about it all? Had she also been a Hunter? There were so many questions Naruto wanted answering and the two people who could best answer them were both dead. They were both murdered and their killer was out for his blood.

Releasing his breath, Naruto turned to Gaara and looked him in the eye. "Gaara, are you sure all that you've said is true? Where did you get all this information from?"

"Most of it is common knowledge among vampires. Namikaze was the first Hunter in a long time to ever be a real threat to the vampire community. When he died word was quickly spread that there was no longer any reason to fear. The finer details of the incident, however, I got from Deidara; the bastard was more than happy to brag about what he had done."

"So you weren't part of the group that killed them?"

"No, Namikaze never killed anybody I knew personally."

"Does that mean you don't hate me?"

Gaara considered his next words carefully. "I should hate you and many vampires will hate you because they will think you are guilty by association. However, I know you and know you are not a threat. I do not hate you Naruto."

"That's good," Naruto said, a small smile slipping onto his face.

Gaara returned the small smile, a part of him relaxing in the face of it. Naruto was going to be alright; it wouldn't be long before he accepted the truth about his father and moved on. Everything was going to be alright.

"Are there any more questions you wish to ask?" Gaara enquired.

Naruto frowned thoughtfully before asking, "What is a Vampire Hunter? How do they go about killing vampires? And how did my dad find out real vampires exist?"

"I'm afraid all I know about Hunters is that they kill my kind. Each have their own preferred methods of doing the deed and I assume they each discover the existence of vampires in different ways as no investigation has ever found a link between the true Hunters of old."

"I'm guessing you also don't know if there's anyone I can ask who would know the answers to my questions then," Naruto said glumly.

"Anyone who knew your father and helped him with his hunting most likely went underground when he was murdered. I do know someone who has more knowledge of Hunters than I, but he is a vampire and I am not willing to introduce you to him."

"Why not?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Because not all vampires are as tolerant of humans as Itachi and Zabuza are. Those who have lived the longest are the most knowledgeable. They have seen humans wage wars a thousand times over. They have seen ignorance and stupidity bring down empires and no longer have any respect for humans. Even if you didn't say you were Namikaze's son you would still not escape in one piece."

A slight chill passed down Naruto's spine. He'd been under the impression that all vampires were like Gaara – cold and distant but good at heart – and only a few had a screw loose like Deidara. Now he was beginning to wonder if it was the other way around; that the good vampires were the anomalies of the world. It wasn't really a reassuring thought that most vampires considered him as nothing more than food.

"So basically you're saying unless I somehow accidently bump into a Vampire Hunter I'm not going to get any of my questions answered?" Naruto verified.

"Correct."

Naruto dropped his gaze to the floor with a sigh. "I guess that's a good thing; there's probably loads of stuff about my dad that I don't want to know." Naruto then looked at Gaara again and (completely changing the subject with a forced, optimistic smile) asked, "So how exactly are we going to go about killing your ex?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed marginally. "_We_ are not going to do anything. You are going to remain where it is safe while I track down Deidara."

"That's not fair," objected Naruto. "I also have a score to settle with that bastard; you can't just sideline me!"

"I can and I will," replied Gaara darkly. "You're the one he's trying to kill Naruto; I am not going to allow you to walk straight into the line of fire."

"I don't need you to hold my hand all the time you know – I can look after myself," countered the blond petulantly.

"Maybe in the mortal world you can but this isn't the mortal world. Deidara has yet to utilise his full power but when he does I'm going to have to use everything I've got to stop him. I don't want you there to see me unleashing the most primal of my vampire powers."

Naruto felt his insides clench at the memory of Gaara's hungry amber eyes. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to go chasing Deidara with Gaara after all.

Naruto closed his eyes with an angry exhale of air. "I just hate the idea of sitting here twiddling my thumbs while you're out there fighting some psychopath. I want to help you; I don't want to be useless."

Gaara reached out and gently ran his knuckles down Naruto's cheek. "You're not useless Naruto, and you are helping me. If I know you're safe I can fight without holding back. Promise me you'll stay safe."

"Only if you promise to come back in one piece," Naruto said as he slyly opened his eyes.

Gaara's lips flickered into a smile. "I promise," he said as he carefully turned Naruto's face towards him so that he could capture the blond human's lips in a tender kiss.

Naruto smiled and cuddled up to Gaara once the kiss ended. With a yawn he let his eyes fall closed, his head resting in the crook of Gaara's neck. The redhead glanced over towards the clock, noting the late hour.

"Perhaps you should go to bed now," suggested Gaara.

"Alright," mumbled Naruto. Slowly, he opened his eyes and asked, "Does that mean you're going now?"

"No, I'm going to stay with you tonight."

Naruto's eyes slipped closed once again, his lips turning up in a slow smile. "Thank you."

With a gentleness Gaara reserved only for Naruto the redhead manoeuvred the blond under the covers. He then kicked off his boots and slid in next to Naruto, deftly pulling the human closer to him. Naruto quickly made himself comfortable in the new position and before long had drifted off to sleep. Gaara continued to smile his small, barely a quirk of the lips, smile as he marvelled at how trusting Naruto was and how much the boy had changed him already. But then the smile fell from Gaara's lips as he remembered the real reason that he was there in Naruto's room.

Gaara's gaze shifted towards the window. If Deidara was going to make an entrance then it would be through that window. Gaara had to be prepared for when he came or the consequences would be dire. With this in mind Gaara prepared himself for a long night of sitting, waiting, and protecting the one he loved.

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Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Hello again. I know a lot of you have been sitting eagerly on the edge of your seats waiting for this chapter. I had thought I'd get it out sooner since I'm off school but I went on holiday and when I came back I looked at the chapter and realized it was rubbish. I've rewritten everything and only now do I think this chapter is acceptable. I still hate the ending though. I hate most of my ending paragraphs though so...

Now, since we're in the middle of the action there won't be loads of romance but I'm sure I can squeeze some in somewhere. As for the GaaraxDeidara pairing if people really want to see some action I might do a flashback chapter later. Also, if anyone has any ideas I am very open to hearing them as the plot I have at the moment is not set in stone.

Lastly I have to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Special thanks goes to Tasukigirl who has been a springboard for my ideas.

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**Chapter 8**

Deidara stared at the apartment complex from his hiding place on the roof of a nearby building, a smug grin tugging at his lips. By his calculations the window framed by the orange curtains was the best point of entry into the Namikaze brat's apartment. He'd have to fly to reach the window but that was fine; it would be a great part of his dramatic entrance. He'd go crashing through the window, hopefully making the blond brat piss his pants. Then he'd drag the filthy human from his comfy bed and laugh in his face as he begged for mercy. That would be when the torture would begin.

The thought of all the blood that would pore from the human's dying body made Deidara's fangs elongate and his eyes turn a hungry burgundy. His fingers twitched in anticipation as his hidden vampire powers awakened. The dark energy began to flow through him making his entire body cry out for the blond rat's blood. He was filled with a wild hunger that had been lying dormant for years and now needed to be sated. He was going to kill the boy and rejoice in his blood. He was going to make him pay for the sins of his father. He was finally going to have his revenge.

Before Deidara could jump from the roof an irritatingly cool voice behind him said, "That's an awful lot of bloodlust you're radiating."

Deidara spun around, baring his fangs in a snarl. "Who are you?" he demanded, barely resisting the temptation to rip out the intruder's throat.

The intruder shrugged. "My name's not really important, especially since I'm going to kill you now."

Deidara growled, not liking the stranger's reply. "Don't be so cocky human. Challenge me and you'll be the one who dies."

The intruder tipped his head to the side and said, "We'll see."

Incensed Deidara charged at the man, his previous thoughts of killing Naruto momentarily wiped from his mind. The stranger smiled grimly to himself as he watched the vampire charge towards him with murder in his eyes. Let the battle commence.

* * *

Something didn't feel right. Gaara closed his eyes and stilled his breathing. He used all of his heightened senses to search for the source of the disturbance but was unable to find anything concrete. Still, he was sure that something big was happening outside of Naruto's bedroom.

Gaara opened his eyes, a frown marring his features. Silently he slipped out of bed and headed towards the window. The world was still wrapped in night's cloak and all seemed peaceful. Up on the roof of a nearby building there was movement but for all Gaara knew it was just aggravated pigeons. He wanted to check it out just in case it wasn't but that would mean leaving Naruto's side. Gaara glanced back at the still sleeping blond. He couldn't leave his post, not until morning. He would just have to wait and hope it was only pigeons that were causing this uneasy feeling that he couldn't seem to shake.

* * *

Deidara hissed as he jumped backwards, his hand grasping his slashed forearm. He then winced as the pain of his new wound caught up with him. This human was much harder to kill than he had anticipated.

Deidara's red eyes narrowed as he pinned his opponent with his most terrifying glare. The man met his gaze with unfazed eyes. This angered Deidara even more, especially since he now knew what he was up against. This was no ordinary human – this was a Hunter, and a powerful one at that. Deidara had slaughtered plenty of Hunters with ease during his extended lifespan but this one for some reason was not as easily killed as the rest. In fact, he was so hard to kill that Deidara was beginning to wonder if he would be able to win this fight. The Hunter had been prepared for this battle whereas he hadn't; he had been blinded by bloodlust and that had made him sloppy. He had been disadvantaged from the start and now he was more injured than the Hunter. It would be better to cut his loses and retreat. After all, he still had a blond rat to find.

Deidara smirked, causing a look of surprise to flicker across the Hunter's face. The blond slowly rose up into the air, his smirk becoming much more feral. "Consider yourself lucky Hunter. I have other matters to attend to tonight; the next time we meet will be your last."

With his badass villain speech delivered Deidara turned and jumped off the roof. Single-mindedly he dived towards Naruto's window, deciding that if he couldn't kill the Hunter then the blond rat would be a good consolation prize. The Hunter might have hurt his pride but he couldn't stop Deidara from getting his revenge.

Deidara was so focused on enacting his revenge that he only noticed the bullet flying towards him seconds before impact. He managed to roll so that it pierced his shoulder instead of his lungs but pain still shot through him, causing him to lose his focus and crash into the wall of Naruto's apartment building. Deidara hurriedly gathered his wits and turned to seek out the one who had shot him. His eyes located the Hunter still in his original position on the roof. This time however he had his gun aimed at Deidara and it appeared he was preparing to fire again.

Deidara rolled over, barely missing the Hunter's second shot. He snarled at the man, considered going back to finish him, then discarded the thought. He was too close to getting his revenge to turn back now. He'd have to be quick mind – not torture the brat as much as he'd hoped – but he could still rough him up a bit before dropping him out of the window. Yes, he'd let the Hunter watch helplessly as he put an end to the son of their greatest hero.

Grinning triumphantly Deidara jumped towards Naruto's window. He expected to crash through the glass and startle the little brat awake. He didn't expect to be met half way by furious amber eyes in a pale face surrounded by red hair. "Gaara!" he managed to gasp out as the two plummeted to the ground, Gaara using his flying abilities to increase the speed of their descent towards the pavement.

With a sickening crack the two vampires landed. Gaara hurriedly stood up, unharmed as he had used Deidara's body to soften the impact. The fall hadn't been enough to kill Deidara but it had certainly been enough to knock him unconscious. Gaara wanted to stay to finish the job but he didn't have enough time to do so. There was somebody else out there who appeared to be just as powerful as Deidara. Gaara didn't know yet if they were friend or foe and he wasn't about to leave Naruto alone when a potential enemy was lurking about.

Keeping his eyes peeled for any stray bullets, Gaara flew back up to Naruto's window. The blond human was already there waiting for him, his eyes wide and anxious. Apparently Naruto wasn't one of those people with the ability to sleep through anything.

"What's going on?!" Naruto demanded in hushed tones as Gaara slipped back through the window.

"Deidara," Gaara grunted as he dragged Naruto away from the window. Naruto wanted to ask another question but Gaara's hand over his mouth prevented him. "There's somebody else out there as well. I can't work out who though."

Realising that this was one of those times when Gaara needed him to be quiet, Naruto gently removed Gaara's hand from his mouth and waited for the redhead to tell him he was allowed to speak again.

After a few minutes in which nothing happened Naruto started to get inpatient. "Are you sure somebody's out there?"

Gaara sent a glare his way before returning to his search. A few moments later the redhead released a frustrated sigh. "Whoever was there before has gone."

"And your ex?"

Gaara frowned and peered down at the pavement. He should have been able to make out the body but he couldn't. He could smell Deidara's blood and it was not tainted by the scent of death. Clenching his fists Gaara growled, "He's still alive."

"Does that mean he's going to come after me again tonight?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

Gaara shook his head slowly, trying hard to suppress his growing rage. "He's injured and knows I'm watching you – he won't come after you again until he's fully recovered."

Naruto smiled in relief. "That's good then."

Gaara didn't return the smile. He continued to look troubled and deep in thought, making Naruto drop his smile. He reached out slowly, placing a hand on Gaara's arm. The redhead tensed before gradually facing Naruto. The blond looked up at him with questioning eyes and Gaara felt his chest tighten at the look. The vampire leaned down and kissed Naruto, hoping to reassure the blond that everything was alright. When he pulled back the blond teen's eyes still looked concerned but there was now a small smile gracing his beautiful face. With his own minute smile Gaara leaned in and kissed the boy again.

The sudden blaring of the fire alarm made them both jump. Gaara hurriedly pushed Naruto towards the door. In his ear he whispered, "Get outside. I'll follow you at a distance."

Naruto wanted to reply but Gaara had already propelled him out of his room into Iruka's line of sight. His guardian was jamming his feet into a pair of trainers and pulling on a jacket. As the older man grabbed his keys he called for Naruto to hurry up. Reluctantly Naruto also put on the nearest pair of shoes and grabbed a jacket, trying to glance inconspicuously behind him. He couldn't see Gaara but he was sure the vampire was there.

Iruka grabbed hold of Naruto's hand and led him out into the corridor. It was absolute chaos with everyone trying to shove their way through the masses towards the exit. Naruto and Iruka tried to move with the flow of people, most of who were still in their pyjamas, but they were separated when they reached the stairs by people eager to escape the supposed fire. Naruto looked about for Iruka but he was being buffeted about so much that it was hard to concentrate. That was when he felt a hand on his elbow and heard a soothing voice whisper, "Don't worry about him; we'll find him once we're outside."

Naruto instantly felt much more relaxed as Gaara's words washed over him. A small part of his brain wondered if Gaara was using his powers to insert this calm into him as those around him also seemed to become less panicked as Gaara spoke in his enchanting, hypnotic voice. That part was ignored in favour of thinking very little. Naruto allowed Gaara to manoeuvre him through the crowds, offering up little resistance to the vampire behind him. Before he knew it Naruto was out on the street, his mind much clearer than it had been when he was inside.

Gaara had taken Naruto away from where the majority of people had gathered so that he could get a good look at anyone who approached him. He couldn't smell smoke; it was a false alarm. Someone had wanted the building evacuated and if he had to guess he'd say that someone was the person who had tried to shoot down Deidara. Gaara wasn't entirely sure who he was looking for but he knew he'd be able to tell once he saw them.

"Gaara, can you see Iruka?" Naruto asked, his own eyes scanning the crowd for his guardian.

"No," Gaara answered as he took hold of Naruto's hand to stop him running off. "We'll look for him later. Right now we need to worry about finding the person who set off the false alarm."

"That would be me," said a cool voice from Gaara's other side. Before the vampire had time to do anything besides tense the stranger pushed something into the flesh below his ribcage. "Make any sudden moves and I'll shoot."

Naruto turned to see a man holding a gun against Gaara's side. The man was young, still in his twenties, yet his hair was silver. The bottom portion of the stranger's face was covered by a mask but above the mask was probably his most defining feature. One eye was pitch black whilst the other was a deep crimson. For some reason the face looked familiar. Naruto didn't think he'd met the man before but there was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

The man turned his deep gaze on Naruto now. "It's alright Naruto. Go find Iruka whilst I deal with this guy."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

The man's eyes became crescents, almost as if he was smiling. "I'll tell you later. Run along now; I'll find you when I finish up here."

The implications of 'finish up' hit Naruto like a tonne of bricks. His eyes narrowed as he hissed, "Hurt Gaara and I'll kick your ass."

The stranger looked surprised at this. Then a look of absolute seriousness slipped into his eyes. "You're obviously confused or you wouldn't say that. If you knew who he was, _what he was_, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him."

The '_what he was_' caught Naruto's attention. Before Naruto could interpret the meaning behind these words Gaara hissed, "He knows exactly what I am and I know exactly what you are _Hunter_."

That was when it clicked. "You're a Hunter like my dad?"

"Yes, I was Minato's student," answered the Hunter warily.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! Wow, I never expected to find a Hunter let alone one that actually knew my dad personally. This is awesome; I have so many questions to ask you!" That was when Naruto remembered the situation they were in. He coughed lightly before saying, "You can stop pointing the gun at Gaara now."

"But if I stop pointing the gun at him then he'll attack you," the Hunter said slowly, as if he was speaking to a small child.

Irritation flickered inside Naruto. "Do I have 'Defenceless' scrawled across my forehead or something? Because lately everyone seems to be going on about how I need protecting. I might not have super vampire powers but I can look after myself you know. I've managed to get by on my own for fifteen years – I am not a damsel in distress that needs rescuing 24/7!"

Both Gaara and the Hunter stared in surprise at Naruto for a moment. Then the Hunter turned his critical gaze on Gaara, before slowly lowering his weapon and taking a step back from the vampire. The two still regarded each other with obvious suspicion but the level of hostility between them had decreased somewhat. It was a start at least.

"Alright, now that I'm not pointing the gun at the vampire mind telling me why I'm doing so?" asked the Hunter.

Ignoring Gaara's low growl Naruto said, "Because he's my friend." At the Hunter's sceptical look he added, "And because he's saved me twice now from his psycho ex."

"And why did he save you?"

"None of your business," Gaara spat.

"Really? I think it is. I don't trust you Vampire; I want to know why you would save the son of a hated enemy."

Gaara bared his fangs at the man in a hostile snarl. Naruto marvelled at how two people, who had never met before now, hated each other so much. Even though they seemed to have the common goal of protecting him they were still reluctant to stand near each other, let alone trust one another. They were going to have to do it though because Naruto had questions that he wanted answering.

"Gaara saved me because we're dating. He was in my room because he's a possessive bastard and felt I needed to be protected. Which I guess I did because his ex came after me. But that's not the point – the point is that I trust him and you should too if you trust me. Now, you can start showing you trust me by telling me your name."

The Hunter hesitated a moment before saying, "Kakashi."

Naruto nodded, a triumphant smile gracing his lips. "Right. Kakashi this is Gaara. I'd tell you to shake hands but something tells me that would be a bad idea."

"It would indeed," Kakashi said, using his eyes to flash a grin Naruto's way before returning his distrusting gaze on Gaara. "By 'dating' do you mean…"

"Mean what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I think he's asking if we've had sex yet," Gaara said calmly but with a malicious undertone.

Naruto blushed as he felt the indignation swell within him. "That's none of your business!"

"Is that a yes?"

Gaara growled and grabbed hold of Naruto's shirt to stop him punching Kakashi as the blond ranted about how Kakashi was a pervert and how Naruto wouldn't tell him anything about his sex life even if he did have one.

Kakashi couldn't help the smirk that played across his lips as Naruto continued to cause a spectacle. He hadn't met Kushina Uzumaki more than a handful of times and only once had he ever seen her get angry. Naruto's temper tantrum reminded him of that one time and he couldn't help but chuckle as he saw quite clearly in Naruto the two people who had conceived him. He had his father's looks and his mother's attitude. It was easier to understand how Naruto could trust a vampire now that he had seen the spirit of Kushina reborn.

Naruto stopped struggling but he was still fuming. "What are you laughing at!?"

Kakashi shook his head. "You remind me of your mother."

Those words were enough to take out whatever fight remained within Naruto. "You knew my mom too?" he asked quietly.

"I met her," was Kakashi's soft reply.

Naruto didn't quite know what to say to that. He remembered his mother's face – so beautiful and loving – and wondered if she had known about his father's secret profession. Surely she wouldn't have condoned it…would she?

Eventually Naruto worked up the courage to ask, "Was my mom a Hunter too?"

"No, but she knew of the existence of vampires. It's hard not to when you marry a Vampire Hunter," answered Kakashi.

"So she knew my dad killed vampires and was alright with it?"

"No," Kakashi said darkly. "Kushina didn't agree with killing vampires at all. She thought their lives were as precious as any human's. She convinced Minato to give up being a Hunter and he in turn convinced me that not all vampires were evil. Then a group of vampires slaughtered them and made it look like an accident. After that I swore I would never trust a vampire again."

It slowly dawned on Naruto the reason that Kakashi hated vampires. He had put his trust in his teacher and in vampires and they had betrayed his trust. In a way Naruto could understand where he was coming from. However, he could also see that Kakashi was also being incredibly stupid. "So if it had been a black guy who had killed my parents would you have started hating all blacks?"

Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Of course not."

"So how come you hate vampires? Just because one vampire is a total bastard doesn't mean they all are."

Kakashi shook his head sadly. "You don't understand Naruto. You've never seen the dark side of a vampire's nature. If you'd seen that you wouldn't trust them either."

"If you mean when their eyes change colour then yeah, I have actually seen their 'dark side'."

"And you still trust them?" Kakashi asked, clearly shocked.

Naruto nodded. "It scared the shit out of me seeing so much evil and hate in a person's eyes. But I knew Gaara hadn't wanted to use his powers – he'd only done it to protect me. If I'd never been in danger then I wouldn't ever have had to see his dark side because Gaara knows how to control that part of him. Some obviously don't have that control but there are a few who do and it's wrong to go after them when they've done nothing wrong. Vampires are like humans in a way – some choose to be bad and some chose to be good. You don't kill them all just because one decided to be bad."

Kakashi regarded Naruto silently. "Perhaps," he said at last, but it didn't seem he had been convinced by Naruto's argument. Naruto hadn't expected him to change his mind and his convictions so suddenly; he just hoped that Kakashi would be a little more open to the idea of trusting Gaara.

The sound of a second set of sirens added to the chaos of the scene outside the apartment building as the Fire Brigade arrived. Naruto watched as the Firemen began unloading their equipment and pushing civilians away from the supposedly burning building. Then a few of them headed inside in a vain attempt to find the blaze.

"I take it you are here because you were hunting Deidara," Gaara said to Kakashi, looking at the Firemen instead of the Hunter.

"Yes, he deserves to pay for his crimes," Kakashi said in a way that dared Gaara to challenge his claim.

"Did you remove the body before you pulled the fire alarm?"

"No, it was gone by the time I got here."

"Pity, I had hoped you'd gotten rid of that problem for me."

Sensing the tension beginning to mount again Naruto quickly captured their attention. "Now that you know I'm alright maybe you should continue your hunt?"

Kakashi looked at him curiously. "After giving me a lecture on not killing vampires you're encouraging me to go hunt one down?"

"It was a lecture on not going after _good_ vampires. And Gaara's ex is crazy; I've already been convinced that he needs to be stopped."

Kakashi gave Gaara a calculating glance before returning his attention to Naruto. "I'll resume my hunt later. Deidara was too injured to have moved on his own which means he had an accomplice. I need to come up with a new strategy to take both of them down."

"Does that mean you're going to keep on playing Night Watchman?" Naruto asked Gaara.

Gaara opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Kakashi. "That won't be necessary. From now on I'll be your 'night watchman'."

Gaara growled. "I am not entrusting his safety to you."

"I think you'll find that you are. Don't worry; I'll make sure no vampires hurt him."

Naruto sensed that Kakashi had wanted to add an '_including you_' at the end of his sentence.

Gaara looked as if he was about to protest but before words could leave his mouth he froze. He turned his head to the side, his frown becoming one of concentration. "Your guardian is coming," he said at last.

Naruto followed Gaara's line of sight. He thought he could just about make out Iruka among the crowd of people milling about outside the building. If it hadn't been for Gaara's superior senses Naruto never would have noticed him.

Naruto returned his attention to Gaara when the redhead resumed speaking. "I better leave now before he sees me. I'll watch you until I'm satisfied that you're safe."

"He'll be safe with me," said Kakashi.

Gaara glowered at him whist Naruto turned his attention to the silver haired Hunter. "Does that mean you're staying?"

"Yes, there are a few things that I need to discuss with Iruka."

"What sort of things?" Gaara asked suspiciously.

Instead of answering the question Kakashi replied with, "You better go before Iruka gets here."

Sending one last glare towards Kakashi, Gaara swooped down to kiss Naruto. As he pulled away he trailed his lips up to Naruto's ear and whispered, "Goodnight Naruto. Watch the Hunter for me," before disappearing into the crowd and the shadows.

"He's an interesting one," Kakashi commented absently. "Does Iruka know that you two are…_dating_?"

"No, and I'd prefer it if it remained that way," Naruto said, slightly miffed by the cynic utterance of 'dating'.

Before any more could be said Iruka arrived. The brunet placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, using it partly as a support as he struggled to regain his breath. Once he was recovered he asked, "Are you alright Naruto?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto replied, smiling encouragingly.

Iruka smiled in return and nodded before becoming distracted by something to Naruto's left. "Who are you?"

Naruto turned to see that he was addressing a man who was standing where Kakashi had been standing moments before. He had the same hair and was wearing the same clothes as Kakashi but this man wasn't wearing a mask. In addition both eyes were black whereas one of Kakashi's had been crimson.

As Naruto looked on in confusion the man held out his hand to shake Iruka's. "I'm Kakashi. We've met once before, at Minato Namikaze's funeral."

"Oh," said Iruka before his eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh yes of course – you were one of the coffin bearers weren't you? What are you doing here?"

"I came here to talk to you and Naruto."

"About what?"

"About the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki."

Iruka paled, his lips pressing together into a thin line. He glanced quickly at Naruto before asking, "What about their deaths?"

"We believe they may have been murdered."

Iruka glanced at Naruto (who thankfully appeared surprised but not upset) before returning his attention to Kakashi. "We?"

"The FBI," Kakashi said as he carelessly flashed a badge at Iruka before stowing it back in the safety of his jacket pocket. "We've identified who the killer is and tracked him back to this city."

"Why are you telling us this?"

Kakashi paused and looked meaningfully at Naruto. By the time the blond realized what he was about to do it was too late to stop him. "I'm telling you this because I believe he intends to kill Naruto."

* * *

Naruto lay on his back in the dark with his hands behind his head. Even though it was still early in the morning he wasn't tired. Once the Fire Department had allowed everyone to return to the building Iruka had sent him to bed while he talked privately with Kakashi. Naruto had listened at the door to the adults talking in hushed voices about the 'serial killer' who wanted to 'finish the job' by murdering him. Naruto already knew most of the things Kakashi was saying – the silver haired man had just altered the story so that Deidara was a human instead of a vampire.

Irritably Naruto blew his bangs out of his eyes. He hadn't wanted to tell Iruka that a psycho was after him because he knew that the information would only worry his guardian, as it would have worried any other parent if they had received similar news. Naruto knew already that tomorrow (well, today, actually) Iruka was going to sit him down and tell him that he was not allowed to leave the apartment except to go to school. Naruto could tell Iruka was really worried because when talking to Kakashi the man had actually considered keeping Naruto from going to school! Luckily Kakashi had reassured Iruka that the serial killer only attacked once it got dark and that there would be other agents secretly watching Naruto the whole time he was at school. Naruto guessed Kakashi was just making this up to reassure Iruka. He was glad because as much as he'd have loved to have an excuse not to do work he also wouldn't have been able to see his friends if he had been made to stay home.

Once Kakashi and Iruka had discussed security in more depth Iruka had gone to bed. He had offered Kakashi the couch and Kakashi had accepted. Naruto wondered if Kakashi was going to talk to him once Iruka was asleep. He did, after all, deserve to be told what Kakashi was doing invading his home and taking his freedom from him.

Naruto didn't have to wait long for Kakashi's arrival. The bed dipped as extra weight was placed upon it. Naruto jumped, hurriedly sitting up. He hadn't heard anyone come in; he was impressed by Kakashi's stealth skills.

"I hope I didn't disturb you," said Kakashi quietly.

"I couldn't sleep," Naruto said honestly. He decided to skip beating around the bush and ask his question straight out. "Why did you tell Iruka that I was in danger?"

"Because you_ are_ in danger and he has the right to know. Plus it's a great cover story for me."

"I knew that was the real reason!" Naruto declared more loudly than he should have. Kakashi immediately slapped his hand over Naruto's mouth. They both froze, listening intently for any sign of movement in Iruka's room. When they heard nothing but silence Kakashi's hand returned to his side.

"I would have preferred to keep Iruka out of this but unfortunately that is impossibly. Deidara knows where you live and is going to come after you again. There is a chance he will be unsubtle about it – it is better to have Iruka know part of the truth than none at all so that if Deidara does come he won't be paralyzed with shock when he sees a vampire attack you."

"Maybe, but you still could have consulted me before just blurting out one of my secrets," Naruto grumbled.

"You should be thankful I didn't tell him any of your other secrets," Kakashi said gravely.

"What?" Naruto said, surprised.

"I could easily have told him about your vampire friend. I doubt Iruka would be very happy that you are dating an older man without telling him. I could have got you into a lot of trouble but I didn't. Do you know why?"

"No; why?" Naruto asked warily.

"Because for some reason you feel attached to that vampire and if I had blown the whistle then you would have resented me for it. I do not want you to resent me Naruto – I want you to trust me. I need you to trust me."

"And not trust Gaara," Naruto said bitterly, his eyes narrowed defiantly.

"I think you're a fool for trusting him, you are correct there. But I can tell that you are headstrong and will not easily be convinced that he is unreliable."

"Damn straight."

"Therefore I will not pressurize you into severing your ties with him until after Deidara has been dealt with. Once that is done we will have a chance to sit and talk properly about vampires. After that I'm sure you'll come to see vampires as they really are."

"I already told you that I've seen them as they 'really are'. But if you promise to let Gaara help you then I promise I'll trust your decisions."

"You want me to accept the notion 'An enemy of my enemy is my friend'?" Kakashi queried.

Naruto beamed. "Exactly."

"But how do you know Deidara's his enemy?"

"I already told you that: Deidara's Gaara's ex and Gaara hates him," Naruto said, his smile turning into an impatient frown.

"Just because he says so doesn't make it true."

Naruto was starting to get angry now. "He didn't _just_ say so – he showed it. He's fought Deidara in order to protect me and I trust him with my life!"

"That's exactly why I'm worried." Kakashi leaned forward, his voice nearly a whisper. "You are right in some ways that vampires are very much human. They lie and have hidden motives just as humans do. Vampires are more deadly than humans though because they have great and terrible powers - powers that can ensnare the senses and take control of a person's mind.

"Do you really think you're the first one Gaara has seduced by using his hidden powers? You may think you remember him saving you but those could be false memories, implanted memories. You shouldn't even consider trusting vampires until you have learned to stop them from accessing your mind like I have; only then can you know that everything you feel and know is true."

With that Kakashi left the room. Naruto wanted to shout at him to come back so that he could defend Gaara but Kakashi's words had rendered him speechless. Naruto wanted to label them as false accusations and forget them but he couldn't. Kakashi's words had unearthed a fear within him that he had kept hidden for awhile now. He knew Gaara could hypnotize people because he had felt the effects of the ability when it was used on him in the graveyard and earlier on the stairs. His mind had gone blank and he'd been willing to do whatever Gaara told him. In that state Gaara could have done anything to him.

Naruto trusted Gaara, knew that the vampire loved him, but he was still scared of the power that Gaara possessed. Without Gaara there to tell him that Kakashi was spouting utter crap Naruto's paranoid side was beginning to wonder 'what if…?'

Violently shaking his head to rid it of these ridiculous doubts, Naruto threw himself onto his side and implored sleep to come to him. The words kept circling though and Naruto found that he was wide awake.

Deciding that it was time to implement drastic measures, Naruto switched the light on. He then padded silently over to his schoolbag and pulled out his textbooks. Revision always made him feel tired so he would revise until he was too tired to think and fall asleep. It was going to be tedious work but that was what he needed. It would definitely distract him from his thoughts and Naruto doubted it would hurt to get ahead in school even though he had much bigger problems than his education to deal with at the minute.

Settling himself comfortably on his bed, Naruto opened the first of his books. As predicted he was distracted from his doubts and quickly became tired. Before long his eyelids were drooping and the book was beginning to slip from his fingers. With a dull thud the book landed on the floor. Naruto Uzumaki was officially asleep.

* * *

Please Review!


	9. Chapter 9

I guess I'll start with thanking everyone who reviewed. Your comments are considered and I don't take offense if you make suggestions as to which way you think the story should go. I do have a (vague) outline of what I want to do but I am still flexible at this point. So basically all ideas are welcome.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy with this chapter. There's not as much action in it as the last. Plenty of backstory and character development though. I'll stop now and let you decide whether its good or not.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Naruto groaned as the hand on his shoulder stirred him from sleep. "Wake up Naruto. It's time for school." Naruto opened his eyes to see Iruka standing over him. The man smiled kindly, his voice soft as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he yawned. "Crappy," he mumbled blearily.

Iruka smiled apologetically. "Last night was pretty rough wasn't it?"

A heavy weight suddenly dropped into Naruto's stomach as he remembered the events of the previous night. He nodded dully. "I can't believe my parents were murdered."

Iruka's gaze was sympathetic. "I know it's a lot to take in all at once. If you feel you need to take a day off I'll call your school and say you're sick."

Naruto forced a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about me Iruka, I'm fine." Iruka smiled back but Naruto knew he didn't believe him.

"Well hurry up and get dressed then; you don't want to be late," Iruka said as he slowly rose to his feet and exited the room.

Obediently Naruto rolled out of bed. He dragged his feet over to the bathroom and then across to the kitchen. He'd just sat down with his breakfast when he realized that there was an extra occupant of their small apartment. Kakashi sat opposite him, making himself as unobtrusive as possible. If it hadn't been for the small movement he made when he turned the page of his book Naruto would never have noticed him.

As if realizing he had been spotted Kakashi looked up. "Good morning Naruto, sleep well?" he asked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Kakashi really did look different without his mask, Naruto mused. He looked more normal – more human – now that his facial expressions were visible. With the mask he definitely looked the part of a Vampire Hunter. Without it…

Naruto shrugged in reply to the question. "You?"

"I didn't sleep; I was making sure nobody made any more attempts on your life."

"Does that mean you're nocturnal too?"

Kakashi continued to smile. "Indeed it does."

Kakashi's eyes drifted back down to his book, thinking the conversation over. Naruto, however, wasn't done yet. "Why aren't you wearing your mask?"

Kakashi quickly looked up from his book, his gaze darting about in order to locate Iruka. He couldn't see the brunet so that meant it was safe to talk. "I only wear the mask when I'm hunting vampires. I think it is a good idea to keep my two lives separate from each other don't you?" This last part he said with a meaningful look that implied Naruto should think before he spoke about the subject.

Naruto took a bite of his toast. "How do you get your eye to change colour?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that; it's a Vampire Hunter secret."

Naruto frowned but decided to let it go. "Are you really an FBI agent?"

"No," Kakashi said, his eyes returning to his book.

"So what job do you really do?"

"I'm on an extended vacation." Before Naruto could ask what Kakashi meant by this the silver haired man closed his book and turned to look over his shoulder. "Are you leaving now?"

"Not yet," Iruka said as he walked into the kitchen. "Usually I give Naruto a lift to school before going to work. I've called in to tell them I'm taking a day off though. After I've dropped Naruto off at school you and I have some things to discuss."

Kakashi nodded before returning to his book. Naruto watched as Iruka moved about the kitchen, a deep silence settling over all of them. He then returned to his breakfast, his crunching and Iruka's clattering the only sounds in the sombre kitchen.

After breakfast Naruto got dressed and headed down to the car park with Iruka. Once inside the car Naruto relaxed; more glad than he thought he would be to be away from Kakashi's watchful eye.

As they drove Iruka asked, "Did you already know?"

Naruto stared at him in confusion. "Know what?"

"About your parents. You were a lot calmer than I thought you would have been when you heard. Did you already know about them; is that why you've been distracted this last week?"

"Yeah, I knew," Naruto mumbled, looking out the window instead of at Iruka. "Kakashi approached me earlier and told me but he didn't tell me who he was or why he was really here." A plausible half truth.

Iruka nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to believe that it was possible. It's bad enough that they're dead, I don't want to think that they were murdered." They drove along in silence for awhile. Then Naruto asked, "What do you want to talk to Kakashi about?"

"I just want to go over details. Last night was so hectic that a lot of what he said didn't sink in." Iruka dropped his strained smile. "They were such great people. I can't believe they were murdered."

Naruto noticed that Iruka didn't add that his parents' killer was now after him. Strangely enough the fact didn't seem to bother him that much. That was probably because he knew he had Gaara as a night-time protector.

Gaara…

Before Naruto had been more worried that Gaara would get hurt protecting him than that he'd be assassinated. Now that Kakashi had implanted that seed of doubt in his mind his confusion was stronger than any of those fears he had previously held. Now the thing that worried him the most was that his feelings for Gaara were all a lie that the vampire had created to get close to him. If it had all really been just an act…

Naruto shook himself. He shouldn't let his thoughts wander down that path, at least not until Gaara was there to give him his version of events. Naruto was sure that Gaara would tell him Kakashi was mistaken and whisper words into his ear that would make everything better…and put him under the control of Gaara's hypnotic spell.

"Iruka, how do you know Kakashi's telling the truth? How do you know this isn't some scam he's come up with to rob us or something?"

"The thought did cross my mind," Iruka admitted. "He's a fine actor – last night when I talked with him I couldn't sense any falseness in his words. I can't tell if he's deceiving us or not. Part of me hopes he isn't but another part hopes he is."

Naruto nodded, knowing exactly how Iruka felt. He didn't want his judgement to be proven wrong but if it was proven right then it meant that something truly terrible had happened and something even worse had yet to occur. Naruto knew how impossible that situation felt.

They stopped a street away from the school to avoid the traffic. Iruka turned to Naruto and said, "If you feel like you can't cope just call me and I'll come pick you up."

Naruto plastered on a smile. "Don't worry – I'll seize any opportunity presented to skip school."

Iruka's face continued to remain serious. "I also don't think you should tell anyone else about any of this. Unless Sasuke and Haku already know..?"

"Yeah, they know," Naruto said, giving up on his false cheer.

Iruka nodded. "Well, goodbye then. Have a nice day."

"You too."

With that Naruto headed towards the main entrance, joining the crowd of dissatisfied teenagers who were also dragging their feet and wishing the holidays were upon them. He soon reached his form room and found that Haku and Sasuke had already taken up their positions around Sasuke's desk. Naruto grabbed a nearby chair so that he could join them, his bag dropping beside him with a loud thud. Both dark haired teens watched in surprise as Naruto slumped in his seat. The slumping was not unusual (Naruto was usually the one most reluctant to get out of bed on a Monday morning) but his disheartened attitude was.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Haku asked tentatively.

Naruto ran his hand through his hair as a sigh escaped his lips. "Yeah, something's wrong," he said wearily. "You'd think I'd have enough on my plate with a homicidal vampire after me but apparently the gods think not."

He then went on to recount what had happened the previous night – his talk with Gaara, Deidara's attempt on his life, Kakashi's arrival and warnings about Gaara. When he was finished Sasuke was frowning. "You don't really trust this Kakashi person do you?"

Naruto shrugged. "He said he knew my dad and that he wanted to protect me. If I'd told him to get lost then I'd never have been able to find out more about Hunters and why my dad decided to become one."

Sasuke still looked sceptical. "Just because he knew your father doesn't mean he doesn't have an ulterior motive."

"I know. But I'd rather get rid of the vampire that wants my head on a platter before I go making any more enemies."

"Don't joke about that Naruto," Haku reprimanded, the concern clear in his voice.

Naruto did as he was commanded, his head bowing forward so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I'm just stressed, you know?" He paused for a moment before suddenly asking, "Have either of you ever felt like Itachi or Zabuza were messing with your feelings? You know, with their secret powers or something?"

Haku and Sasuke looked at each other quizzically. "Possibly. Sometimes when I get stressed out and Zabuza hugs me I get this really calm feeling. I think it's my own feelings but maybe Zabuza is amplifying them?" Haku tried to explain.

Naruto's brow creased in thought. "Do you ever wonder why he chose you out of all the other people he could have had? Do you ever wonder if he's just using you?"

"Gaara's not using you Naruto," Sasuke interjected.

"How do you know?" asked Naruto, slightly surprised that Sasuke picked up on his train of thought so quickly.

"Because I grew up with Itachi and Itachi is very much like Gaara. He might not act like he cares but he's always much nicer to you than anyone else. Remember how he was that first night you met?" Naruto nodded, remembering all too well his first visit to Club Secret. "Now compare that with how he is with you now."

When Naruto had first met Gaara he had been cold, distant – a total bastard. He'd thrown Naruto against the wall and forced himself on him. He hadn't done that last night. Last night Gaara had been undemanding and gentle, in his own way. He'd known Naruto would be distressed and hadn't taken advantage of that. Gaara had never taken advantage of him; even when the vampire had drank his blood and wanted to fulfil his other needs he had not pressurised Naruto into anything.

Sasuke smirked when he saw that Naruto was beginning to get his point. "Gaara isn't one to beat around the bush. If there's something he wants he takes it. He must want you for more than just sex or blood because if he did he never would have bothered taking you on that date."

Naruto nodded, a small, true smile forming on his lips. "You're right Sasuke."

"Of course I'm right," Sasuke said, his superior smirk firmly in place as he leaned back in his chair.

Naruto glared at him. "Smug bastard," he muttered under his breath.

Haku chuckled as the two fell back into their usual routine of playful banter. "Any more insecurities that you need help riding yourself of?" he questioned sweetly.

"I'm not insecure!" Naruto said hotly. "I just wanted to know if you guys had ever thought that your memories or feelings had been planted in you."

Sasuke shrugged gracefully. "I doubt it. If Itachi has the ability to implant memories then he has the ability to erase them as well and I have plenty of memories of him that don't portray him in a very good light. If he was messing with my mind I would have thought that his priority would be to get rid of those memories instead of plant new ones."

Haku nodded in agreement. "I think maybe they do sometimes manipulate us but not in such a big way and not maliciously."

Naruto grinned. "You guys are right. I guess my lack of sleep is making me paranoid."

It was at that moment that the teacher walked in and told them to take their seats. Naruto settled down behind the desk adjacent to Haku's. He felt much better after talking with his friends. He still had a lot of things to think about but at least now he felt like he could trust Gaara again. Naruto smiled and turned his attention back to the teacher.

* * *

Naruto had been reading the same sentence for the last five minutes. The sun had set and he was waiting anxiously for Gaara to appear, well aware that not very far away Kakashi was waiting for exactly the same thing. As soon as Naruto had come home from school and Iruka had become preoccupied with making dinner Kakashi had taken Naruto aside and asked if Gaara would be coming that night. Naruto had shrugged and said Gaara never informed him when he would be appearing. Kakashi had nodded and reminded him about their conversation the night before. Naruto had had to suppress a shiver as he'd walked away, a part of him still terrified by the extent of Gaara's powers. Kakashi had been watching him ever since; the only reason he was alone now was because he'd said he wanted to sleep. Kakashi also thought Gaara was likely to appear that night and didn't want Naruto to be alone when he met with the vampire.

A light tapping made Naruto quickly discard his book and hurry to the window. As soon as the latch was undone Gaara silently slipped inside and closed the window behind him. He then spun back around to face Naruto. "Are you alright?" he asked in a voice that was no more than a whisper.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied in equally soft tones. "How about you?"

"I am also fine." Gaara's lips curled up into a small smile as he leaned down to kiss Naruto. The blond returned the kiss eagerly, his shoulders relaxing slightly. Gaara also relaxed, glad to have proof that his precious blond really was unharmed. As he pulled back Gaara whispered, "Where is the Hunter?"

"In the living room waiting for you to turn up," Naruto replied, the frown in his voice as well as on his face.

"Has he been giving you any trouble?"

There was a pause before Naruto asked, "Do you have the power to implant false memories?"

Gaara growled, the grip he had on Naruto tightening. Hearing the short hiss of discomfort Gaara relaxed his hold but Naruto could see his eyes still burned with barely controlled fury. "Do not listen to what the Hunter tells you. He will feed you lies to turn you against me; he can not be trusted."

"Is it true though?" Naruto pressed.

Gaara growled again, this time with less rage and more awkwardness. "My mental powers are very strong. If I wished to it would be possible for me to alter a human's memory."

"Have you ever played with any of my memories?"

"I have never felt the need to alter any of your memories when I have been inside your mind."

"What?" Naruto asked, slightly taken aback. "You've been inside my mind?"

"Briefly, when you were sleeping. I wanted to know how strong your defences were and if you were being entirely truthful with me. Don't worry, I have never delved deeper than your conscious mind when you were dreaming; your dreams were enough to tell me that I had nothing to fear from you."

"Don't worry? Don't worry!? You spied on my dreams without telling me!" Naruto said angrily, forgetting that he was supposed to be quiet.

"I didn't tell you because it wasn't important," Gaara said, his jaw clenching slightly.

"Not important?" Naruto echoed, the volume of his voice increasing as he became incensed. "Those were my personal thoughts and you spied on them!"

Gaara grabbed Naruto's arm and hissed, "What I saw were trivial flashes that revealed nothing besides the fact that you are a cheerful, hot tempered human being that fights constantly with Itachi's brother and likes to stare into my eyes. I saw nothing personal – I only saw you as the honest and trusting person I thought you were. Those few flashes were enough to reassure me that I did not need to dig to find malicious intent because there was none. I have never since looked into your mind."

"You've messed with my feelings though," Naruto accused.

"I have done that only twice to protect you. I needed you calm," Gaara defended briskly.

"You could have just told me to calm down instead of using your freaky powers on me."

"I didn't have time for that." Gaara shook his head as he stepped away from Naruto. The blond got the impression that Gaara was silently cursing him out as he turned his back to him. Then the vampire was before him once again, his hands firmly grasping Naruto's shoulders. "I only use my powers when I feel I need to do so. The less I use them the less blood I need to drink. I also have more control over myself if I restrict their use. You don't understand how hard it is to control myself sometimes when I'm around you."

Naruto looked into Gaara's eyes and saw that the edges were tinged with gold. His insides suddenly felt cold as he was again reminded just how dangerous Gaara could be.

"The thought that you're more trouble than you're worth has crossed my mind before. You are the only human whose blood I lust for even when I'm not hungry. Sometimes I have wondered if it would be better to just bleed you dry instead of torturing myself like I do…But then that irrational urge to protect you is provoked and I find myself unwilling to hurt you. I truly am a masochist."

Naruto watched as Gaara forced the gold out of his vision. The vice like grip on his arms lessened as Gaara regarded him with blank, patiently expectant eyes. Naruto stared into those eyes and saw nothing that went against Gaara's words. He meant everything he said; he meant him no harm.

Still, an annoying voice in the back of Naruto's mind reminded him that Gaara was a master of manipulation. Naruto might already be under his spell – his mind trapped inside a fantasy whilst unknown horrors happened around him. It was a possibility (a very real possibility) but Naruto didn't think it was so. He remembered vaguely how he'd felt when he'd been hypnotised before – lightheaded and not in touch with reality – and this was nothing like that. The experience was too vivid to be false; Naruto knew exactly what he was thinking and feeling and why. This was real and Gaara was real and sincere. He loved him and wanted to protect him.

Naruto looked away, his face set in a pout. "You better stay out of my mind or I'll kick your ass," he mumbled.

Gaara took hold of Naruto's chin and slowly turned the boy's face towards him. Their eyes connected and Naruto once again felt like he was drowning. He wasn't being hypnotised though; this was the work of Gaara the sex god instead of Gaara the vampire. As Gaara's face moved closer and closer to his Naruto's eyes began to close in anticipation of the kiss to come.

"I wondered when you were going to show up."

Naruto jumped, his head snapping round to see who had spoken. Kakashi was lounging casually against the doorframe, his expression hidden by his mask. Gaara growled at the sight of him, his grip on Naruto's arm tightening.

Kakashi moved from his reclining position into the room. "I'd appreciate it if you released Naruto now," he said, still sounding calm.

Gaara glared and responded by wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist, dragging the blond closer to his body. Naruto's cheeks became slightly coloured as his brow furrowed. He braced his hands against Gaara's chest and muttered gruffly, "Let go of me Gaara."

Gaara reluctantly released him. He turned to Kakashi, arms crossed defiantly over his chest, and asked, "What do you want?"

"I want you to leave," Kakashi replied amicably.

Gaara glared. "That's not going to happen."

"I think you'll find that it is," Kakashi said, his friendly voice taking on a dangerous tone.

Naruto decided it was time to intervene. "Hey, I thought you said you were going to let Gaara help?"

"I am," Kakashi replied coolly. "He can help by searching for Deidara's trail."

"Why should I be the one to search for him when you are the supposed expert at hunting vampires?" sneered Gaara.

"Because I'm the only one who can answer Naruto's questions about his father."

Naruto's heart suddenly began to beat hard against his ribcage. Finally he was going to learn the truth about his father, Minato Namikaze, the legendary Vampire Hunter. Someone was finally going to explain to him why his father decided to go down such a deadly path, why he had hunted the people Naruto now thought of as friends. Finally he was going to learn about his heritage.

Gaara growled. "You mean you're the only one who can fill his mind with lies."

"Don't judge me by your standards, Vampire."

Gaara snarled and only Naruto's restraining hand on his arm stopped him from attacking Kakashi. Naruto looked between the two of them before his eyes settled on Gaara. Softly, he whispered, "Gaara, I want to know about my father."

Slowly Gaara turned to look at him. His deep green eyes bored into Naruto and for a moment Naruto wondered if the redhead was trying to read his mind. Then Gaara's shoulders dropped and he whispered a bitter, "Fine, I'll go."

"The story isn't short enough to get through in one night so I wouldn't bother coming back tomorrow. Or the night after. Or anytime soon," Kakashi added.

Gaara sent him a look that was pure malice. He then turned to Naruto, his expression clearly showing his suspicion and displeasure at being sent away. He roughly pecked Naruto's cheek before opening the window and disappearing into the night.

Once Gaara was gone Naruto rounded on Kakashi. "What was all that about? Why did you send him away?"

"I'm a Vampire Hunter Naruto; it is in my nature not to trust vampires. This one I am particularly suspicious of. Don't you think it convenient that he turned up just before Deidara did?"

"No," Naruto said adamantly. "Gaara has done nothing to make me suspicious, except be a vampire."

"That in itself should be cause enough for you to stay as far away from him as possible," Kakashi said seriously.

Naruto frowned. "Why do you hate vampires so much?"

The fabric of Kakashi's mask shifted, as if he was giving Naruto a lopsided grin. "The story I'm going to tell you tonight should answer that question."

Kakashi closed the door and took a seat on Naruto's bed, motioning for the blond to join him. Naruto did as he was bidden, watching Kakashi warily.

Once he was sure he had Naruto's attention Kakashi began his tale. "When I was thirteen I was attacked by a vampire. My father had recently died and I'd been forced to move in with my aunt. I spent as much time as I could on my own away from the house. One night I accidently wandered into the hunting ground of a vampire that was particularly sadistic. If Minato hadn't found me I would have died. He took me to the hospital and later explained everything that had happened. When I found out that his job was to eradicate the twisted creatures that had nearly killed me I begged him to let me help. He reluctantly agreed to let me be his apprentice.

"I was the first of Minato's three apprentices. Obito and Rin also survived a vampire attack thanks to Minato and wanted to repay the debt. One night every week we would meet up and he would train us. As we got older he allowed us to observe him take down a vampire and eventually to help. We went our separate ways for three years to go to university but after we'd graduated we met up with him again and our training resumed.

"The city we lived in had one of the largest vampire populations in the country so there was never any shortage of creatures to hunt. By day we all had respectable jobs and by night we helped Minato rid the city of its infestation. For years we followed the same arrangement. Then one day Minato told us that he was retiring and that we should follow suit. When we asked why he was retiring he said that his fiancée had finally convinced him that it was wrong for us to hunt vampires indiscriminately. He said, like you did, that not all vampires are evil. He was our teacher and we trusted his judgement. When he moved away we kept in touch but never tried to hunt vampires.

"A few years later we got a call telling us that Minato was dead. Obito had some links with the police department and was able to get a hold of the case file. We all knew as soon as we saw the photos that Minato had been murdered by vampires. Obito was enraged and wanted to go find Minato's killer immediately. I told him it was a bad idea. We were still only apprentices; Minato had always said that we weren't ready to become fully fledged Hunters. Obito wouldn't listen to reason and he took off with Rin to find the culprit. I later got a call from Rin. She said they'd found the vampire but I had been right – they hadn't been ready to take down Deidara on their own. She didn't say much more than that before the connection died.

"I saw her corpse on the news later that night. Obito disappeared without a trace. For a time I tried to find him but all my leads led me nowhere. That was when I realized that Minato had been right in his original definition of vampires. They were evil and needed to be stopped. I decided to finish my training under the supervision of the one who taught Minato. That's where I've been for the last few years – training so that I can avenge my teacher and my friends."

Kakashi turned to Naruto, his gaze serious and penetrating.

"You may think that vampires are like humans but you haven't seen what I've seen. You haven't experienced first hand how brutal they can be. Deidara has only just begun his game; if we don't find him soon he'll kill everyone you know and care about. You want to know why I sent Gaara away? It was to stop you becoming too attached to him. Better to sever the cord now than when he turns against you. And trust me, Naruto, he will turn against you. Once he's finished with you he'll suck you dry and leave your corpse for the birds. It's in his nature to do so. Vampires are creatures born out of the darkness of death. You say you've seen Gaara's darker side but I doubt you've seen the full horror of it. If you'd seen him lose all restraint then you wouldn't have this notion that vampires have the potential to be good. You'd know as I do that they are pure evil and are better off dead than plaguing humanity with their greed and lust."

Naruto was silent. He was filled with pity for Kakashi, sorry that he had suffered so cruelly at the hands of vampires. Kakashi had never met a good vampire upon which to form a different opinion; Naruto could understand why he had become a Hunter.

That didn't mean Naruto agreed with him though. The vampires Naruto knew were nothing like the vampires Kakashi had described. They were functioning members of society; the only difference between them and the rest of the city's population was that they had an aversion to sunlight. Naruto couldn't believe that they were evil. He knew his friends and he knew they wouldn't put up with someone who didn't have _any _redeeming qualities.

"You're wrong about Gaara." Naruto's gaze locked with Kakashi's and the older man could see the conviction in those blue orbs. "Just because the vampires you've met have been evil doesn't mean that they all are. Gaara may not be the nicest guy in the world but I know that he cares about me. He said it himself – I'm more trouble than I'm worth. He still wants to be around me though and if that doesn't show that he likes me then nothing will."

"You do know that it could also show that he wants something from you."

Naruto gave him a cocky grin. "Of course he wants something. I'd be insulted if he didn't want my sexy body."

"What about Deidara?" Kakashi asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "You said that he and Gaara used to be together. How do you know that the old spark won't be rekindled? It could already have happened and Gaara could be trying to lure you into a trap."

The comment stung but Naruto hurriedly shrugged it off. "Gaara thinks Deidara's crazy – they won't get back together."

"You don't sound entirely sure about that," Kakashi commented.

"I am sure!" Naruto protested. He glowered at Kakashi, knowing that the Hunter could also hear the small insecurities in his voice. Naruto huffed before saying, "Besides, if Gaara did betray me Itachi and Zabuza would kick his ass."

"Who are they?" queried Kakashi.

Naruto froze, realising that he had let the cat out of the bag. He had planned on keeping Zabuza and Itachi secret after seeing the reaction Gaara's involvement in his life had provoked from Kakashi. Now that he had let it slip it was time for a quick cover up. "They're no-one," Naruto said dismissively.

Kakashi frowned. "It's not a good idea to keep secrets from me Naruto."

The blond bristled. "You really think I'm going to spill my guts to you after only knowing you a few days? You can't just waltz into my life and expect me to help you mess it up. I'm not going to tell you all my secrets unless you give me a damn good reason why I should. Gaara isn't the only one who I should be wary of."

Kakashi discretely clenched his fist. "I am not the one who will murder you once you let your guard down."

"So you say."

Kakashi stood up. "That's enough discussion for one night. You better get some sleep or you'll be tired in the morning."

With that he left the room, silently closing the door behind him. Naruto mentally cheered at winning that round. He appreciated that Kakashi was looking out for him but Naruto refused to let the man ruin his life. He had become a part of the world of vampires and he couldn't reject them now. If he rejected them he'd lose his friends and he'd lose Gaara. Without them what did he have? He had Iruka but Iruka was family and what Naruto needed was friends. He didn't think he'd ever be able to find new friends as loyal as Sasuke and Haku. As for Gaara…

Naruto mulled over the question of Gaara as he lay back on his bed. He had been attracted to the vampire since they first met. He'd doubted the redhead's intentions plenty of times since then but he had always come to the conclusion that Gaara was someone he wanted to be with. That had to count for something.

Naruto smiled as he realised Gaara was just as much trouble as he was. He chuckled at the realisation, finding the thought incredibly funny for some reason. It was almost like they were meant to be together – two birds of a feather. Maybe it was destiny.

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Please Review!


	10. Chapter 10

This chapter has given me so much grief it's unbelievable. I started it months ago and some time between then and now my writing style has changed slightly so that when I look back at the first half I feel the need to rewrite it all. But it has been rewritten so many times that I no longer have the will to revise it _again_. I just hope I haven't messed it up too badly when I've tried to alter it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, your words of encouragement really mean a lot to me. I'm not sure about who I'm pairing Kakashi up with just yet. Depending on how I order events (i.e. when Deidara makes his next appearance) depends on whether pairing him with Iruka will be plausible. As for there being 4 against one...next chapter should deal with that problem ^^

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Chapter 10**

Gaara rhythmically drummed his fingers against the polished wood of the table. His eyes skimmed the document in his free hand, occasionally moving back to the beginning of the paragraph when the words ceased to make sense. The more often this occurred the more creased Gaara's brow became with concentration and annoyance.

The drumming ceased. The document was released as Gaara's hand made its way up to massage his temples. He was getting a headache.

Lips that had previously been sounding out the legal terms he knew so well shaped themselves into the form of a curse. Leaning back in his chair, Gaara absently stared at the ceiling as he focused on the one who had pillaged his concentration. Naruto. He wanted to go see the blond human, wanted to make sure that the Hunter hadn't harmed or corrupted his mind, but his pride refused to let him. Last night, when Naruto had chosen the Hunter's company over his, he had been insulted and hurt. He'd fumed all night over the incident as he'd searched for Deidara. When he hadn't found the elusive vampire he'd been deeply disappointed. His ex. would have made the perfect punching bag upon which Gaara could have released his pent up fury.

Naruto wasn't the only one who Gaara was angry with. The Hunter (being a sworn enemy of the whole vampire race) was naturally not at the top of Gaara's Christmas card list. However, due to the man's actions the night before, he had secured his place at the top of Gaara's list of enemies. The Hunter had had the audacity to talk down to him, to forbid him from seeing Naruto. Gaara had wanted to tear the masked man limb from limb but Naruto had stopped him. The blond had wanted to listen to the Hunter even though Gaara had told him that the man would only spout lies about vampires. In a way Gaara was scared to go back to see the results of the Hunter's brainwashing. If Naruto hated him he doubted he'd be able to control himself. He'd kill the boy and quite possibly go on a rampage until he was either killed by the Hunter or crippled by the pain that comes after the overwhelming fury of being forsaken.

Gaara cursed as he leaned forward, returning his gaze to his work. He'd made the foolish error of starting a relationship with a stranger, a human, someone he hadn't been one hundred percent sure he could trust, and now he was paying the price. Betrayal and heartbreak seemed to be just beyond the horizon but he couldn't back out now - he was in far too deep for that. Naruto had somehow carved a place for himself in Gaara's heart of stone and to try to remove the boy from his life would only cause him pain. Naruto had to be the one to deliver the first blow, to give kindling to the fire that was Gaara's resolve to leave before he got hurt. Because he always seemed to be the one who got hurt, the one who carried the most scars. He was such a fool to fall in love.

Gaara jerked as he realized what he'd just been thinking. It wasn't love – he was a vampire and didn't know how to love – but he was sure it was something similar. Over the years Gaara had had many relationships and although many of them had been intense they had never been like this. Gaara looked back on his time with Deidara and remembered that at one point he'd wanted to protect the man, but that hadn't been until after they'd lain together and Gaara had been sure that Deidara was his to command and control. Naruto, on the other hand, had never been that intimate with him and yet Gaara would have died to protect him.

Looking back Gaara saw many key differences between his current and past relationships. The most prominent was that Naruto was human and the rest had been vampires. Gaara had slept with humans but he had never wanted to have a relationship with them. That might have been because back then he hadn't seen humans as anything more than prey, but Gaara didn't think that was the whole story. He'd known from the beginning that there was something special about Naruto, something he couldn't place, something that drew him towards the blond with an unearthly ferocity that at times scared and confused him. He wanted the boy's body and blood, but only if he was given permission. For some reason the idea of just taking what he wanted repulsed him. Gaara wasn't sure how much was his new perspective on life and how much was due to Naruto's affect on him. All he knew was that it would be suicide to cut the thread that bound Naruto's life to his.

Accepting the fact that he wouldn't get any work done until his mind was at ease, Gaara stood up and put on his shoes. It was time to stop torturing himself and go find out where he really stood with Naruto.

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The giant concrete building appeared as it always did at night. A few windows radiated light from electric lamps but most were dark and empty; the occupants of the rooms were already fast asleep. Gaara still flew up to Naruto's room carefully, mindful that anyone could see him during his exposed ascent. He didn't want to be caught and the alarm to be raised.

When Gaara reached Naruto's window he was surprised that it was open. The night was not particularly cold but it was also not particularly warm. Why then had it been left open: was it a trap or had Naruto meant it as a sign that he wanted him to visit? The ambiguity made Gaara suspicious and apprehensive about entering. His acute hearing could only detect Naruto's soft breathing but it was possible that the Hunter was there too, silently lying in wait for him.

After a few tense minutes in which nothing stirred Gaara slipped through the window into the apartment. With his night vision he easily spotted Naruto sprawled out on his bed, a small trail of drool running from his parted lips to his chin. Gaara repressed a smile at the sight; it was very much Naruto in a nutshell.

Gaara silently moved to stand by Naruto's head. He needed to wake the teen to talk to him but it was unlikely that Naruto would be quiet after being rudely roused from his deep sleep. The only way Gaara could ensure that Naruto wouldn't attract the Hunter's attention was by entering the boy's mind and talking to him there. The only problem with that plan was that Naruto had made it quite clear that he didn't want Gaara entering his mind without his permission. Even if his intentions were pure Naruto would be angry with him and that was something Gaara definitely didn't want.

Settling on a compromise, Gaara reached out a finger to Naruto's temple, intending to gently drag the boy's mind back to consciousness. He stopped when he heard the soft creak of the door.

With lightening fast reflexes Gaara moved away from Naruto into a darkened corner of the room. As he watched the door apprehensively the hairs on the back of Gaara's neck stood up. It was therefore no surprise when the Hunter was revealed as the intruder.

Kakashi surveyed the room calmly. "There's no point in hiding Vampire; I know you're there."

Gaara cursed silently. He remained where he was on the off chance that the Hunter was bluffing and trying to lure him out.

Kakashi sighed and looked directly at Gaara's hiding place. "I thought I told you that your presence wasn't needed here. If you want to be helpful you should be tracking down Deidara."

"Deidara will have hidden himself so that nobody will find him until he's recovered. Then he'll try to take Naruto again and he _will_ succeed in his endeavour unless you let me protect him," Gaara said as he moved out of the shadows.

"You're right, Deidara _will_ succeed if I allow you to protect Naruto," Kakashi replied in that annoyingly cool tone of his.

Gaara growled and bared his fangs. "I have severed all ties with that man – I want him dead as much as you do. I will not betray Naruto."

"You say that you won't but when the time comes you'll show your true colours. Don't try to trick me Vampire; I'm not naïve like Naruto. I know you only want to protect him because you want his blood. As soon as you're bored with him you'll throw him away like yesterday's trash. I'm not going to let that happen."

Something in Kakashi's words disturbed Gaara but his anger at the man suppressed the feeling. "You have no idea what you're talking about Hunter. You know nothing about me so don't claim that you do."

Kakashi tilted his head and Gaara imagined that there was a mocking smile beneath his mask. "You'd be surprised how much I know, Vampire."

Gaara growled and made as if to lunge forward. Kakashi moved to block but a moment later was cursing as Gaara sent a mental attack not at him but at Naruto. The blond awoke immediately, frantically looking around for the source of the shock that had rudely torn him from his dreams. He eventually switched on the bedside lamp and spotted Gaara and Kakashi, both squared off and ready to trade blows.

Naruto stared at the two rivals, taking a moment to find his voice. "What the hell is going on?!"

After glancing at Naruto and seeing that he was unharmed Kakashi levelled Gaara with his gaze. "That was a sneaky trick Vampire."

Gaara smirked.

Meanwhile, due to being ignored, Naruto's confusion was quickly transforming into annoyance. "Hey, I asked you a question, aren't you going to answer it?"

"The vampire attacked you in your sleep."

Kakashi knocked aside the punch aimed for his face and grabbed Gaara by the throat. The vampire snarled, grasping the wrist that held him and nearly crushing it. Kakashi responded by tightening his own grip, his free hand sliding towards his gun.

A blow to Kakashi's jaw snapped his head to the side but didn't make him relax his grip. Slowly he turned to see Naruto with his fists clenched, his eyes blazing with fury. From between clenched teeth the teenager hissed, "Let. Gaara. Go."

Kakashi stared at him for a moment before slowly releasing his hold. Gaara did the same, the vampire backing away from Kakashi as he rubbed his abused trachea.

There was silence as the vampire and the Hunter regarded each other distrustfully. Every movement, every intake of breath, was observed with suspicion. They watched each other carefully, eyes searching for weak points, hate simmering beneath the surface of their composed exteriors.

They were the opposite of Naruto, whose anger was clear to see. "I know you two don't like each other but that doesn't mean you can pick a fight every time you meet. You're both supposed to have a common goal – protecting _me_. Would it kill you to at least _pretend_ to get along until all the crazies who are after me have been dealt with?" When his question was met by silence Naruto growled. "You two better come to an agreement or I swear I'm going to go into the street with a sign that says 'Son of Famous Vampire Hunter that killed your mother and waiting to be slaughtered'. I'm sure neither of you will be happy then, when all the vampires with grudges try to tear me to pieces." Naruto glared at the two rivals some more to make sure they'd got the message. He then released his anger in the form of a deep sigh. "Gaara, what happened?"

Gaara continued to glare at Kakashi as he said, "I distracted the Hunter and sent out a small pulse of mental energy; not enough to harm but enough to shock you awake. I thought you should have a say on whether I stayed or not."

Naruto turned to Kakashi. "You were going to send him away without telling me?"

"It's for your own good Naruto."

"The hell it is," Naruto said, his righteous anger quickly returning. "After I told you last night that I trusted Gaara and didn't want you ruining my life by scaring him off you go ahead and do it the minute my back is turned! I ought to punch you again!"

As Naruto glared daggers at Kakashi Gaara felt his heart lighten. He'd made the right choice in coming here. Naruto hadn't been taken in by Kakashi's slander, he'd rejected the ideas that the Hunter had tried to force on him and was still loyal to Gaara. Their relationship wasn't a lost cause after all.

Kakashi frowned at Naruto's reprimand. "You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement; you're making it easy for him to manipulate you. Why can't you see that I'm only trying to protect you? Why do you have to fight me at every turn?"

"Because I don't want to cut Gaara out of my life and your plans always seem to revolve around doing just that. I don't want to lose a friend; why can't _you_ accept that?"

"Because vampires are unnatural beings. They are born out of death and hate. After such a birth they can't help but be evil. Maybe some are able to adopt the persona of humanity in order to blend in but that mask is easily cast aside. It is in a vampire's nature to be evil – a creature of darkness – and, to protect those who they would kill to satisfy their lust for blood and carnal pleasure, they must all be eradicated. Listen to me Naruto; I'm trying to stop you from being hurt. You need to trust me; I'm trying to help you."

"Why should I trust you?" Naruto asked. "I've known Gaara longer, I've been saved by him more often, I actually know people who can vouch for him. Why should I trust you more than him?"

Kakashi frowned. "Who do you know that can vouch for him?"

"Don't change the subject!"

Naruto quickly clamped his hand over his mouth as his brain registered the volume of his outburst. When Iruka didn't come barging into the room he dropped his hands and resumed glaring at Kakashi.

"The bottom line is that I'm not letting you throw Gaara out again. He's one of my closest friends and I'm not losing him because of you."

Kakashi's gaze was a mixture of anger and disappointment as he stared at Naruto. "In that case I'm going to have to make it impossible for you to be together, regardless of your opinions on vampires. I'm not going to let those vile creatures ruin you like they did Minato."

"Oh really? How are you going to do that?" Naruto asked cockily.

"I can withhold information about your parents and refuse to answer your questions about Hunters."

Naruto lost his grin. After a moment of contemplation he shrugged. "If it's a choice between Gaara and the answers to a few questions then I choose Gaara. Some secrets are probably best left untold."

Kakashi produced a shrug of equal nonchalance. "Your loss. I guess it would also be your loss if I accidently let it slip to Iruka that you have a boyfriend who is a member of the group that killed your parents."

"But Gaara didn't have anything to do with my parents' deaths!" Naruto protested vehemently.

"In my eyes all vampires are equally responsible for their deaths," Kakashi said, his tone as cold as ice.

Naruto glared and clenched his fists. Injecting confidence into his voice, he countered with, "Well if you're going to tell Iruka about Gaara then I guess I'll have to tell him that you're not a real FBI agent. Maybe I'll even add in the little white lie that you made up the whole story about my parents being murdered. He'll be so mad he'll kick your ass before you have time to say 'Not guilty'."

"Maybe," Kakashi replied calmly. "Or maybe he'll think that you're covering your tracks, trying to discredit me so that you won't get into trouble. After all, if you really did believe I was an imposter you would have said so long ago. Even if you deliver your news first my news will still have more of an impact. If nothing else it will make Iruka suspicious. Then he'll be the one who you have to fight for your freedom. There will be a rift between you and I know you don't want that to happen."

Naruto looked down, realising the truth of Kakashi's words. Iruka's suspicions would be ignited, even if he was pissed with Kakashi. Naruto was sure that he'd be watched like a hawk if that happened and that Iruka would inevitably be drawn into the world of the supernatural. Naruto didn't want that for his guardian, he didn't want Iruka to have to realize the danger they were in.

Once Iruka knew about vampires it would only be a matter of time before he knew about Gaara. If Iruka knew about Gaara things would become even more complicated. The fact that Naruto was dating a man four years older would have concerned his guardian. The fact that Gaara looked four years older but was actually _much_ older than he looked would definitely do more than concern Iruka, it would send him into a frenzy! He'd probably lock Naruto away in his room in a misguided attempt to protect him from the reality that vicious creatures roamed the streets at night in search of blood. Like any normal person he'd want to deny that vampires existed, he'd want to block out the memory of the time his path crossed with that of one of those supposedly mythical figures. He'd do Kakashi's dirty work for him and make sure that Naruto and Gaara were unable to be together.

There was, of course, a way around this problem. Gaara could erase all of Iruka's memories of vampires so that Naruto's guardian could once again become oblivious to the danger that existed. This would be a simple solution that would keep everyone happy.

Only, it wouldn't keep everyone happy. Naruto didn't want Gaara messing with Iruka's mind, or anyone else's for that matter. It didn't seem right – a person's thoughts and memories were personal and should only be known by another if the one who those memories belonged to was willing to share them. The idea that Gaara (or any vampire) could enter a person's mind and more or less gaze upon a person's _soul_ scared Naruto. It was the only one of Gaara's powers that he had encountered so far that he hated and it was this (as well as the bloodlust) that made him wary of fully trusting Gaara.

However, the alternate wasn't all that pretty. Iruka would realise that Naruto had been lying to him for the past few weeks and would be furious. He'd shout and scream and ground Naruto for life. And then he'd turn away so that Naruto wouldn't be able to see the pain that he'd caused.

That was the real reason Naruto didn't want Iruka to find out about Gaara. His guardian would know instantly that that was where Naruto had been every Friday night for the past few weeks. Iruka would be devastated that Naruto had been unable to trust him with this knowledge, that Naruto had gone behind his back and done something that he'd known Iruka wouldn't approve of. Naruto didn't want to cause Iruka any pain and so he would do everything in his power to spare Iruka from finding out that he'd lied. And if Gaara had to mess with Iruka's memories to do that…It was hard to tell which would be the greater of the two evils.

Watching Naruto run through the consequences of his possible revelation made Kakashi smile bitterly. He'd found a way to force Naruto's hand but he took no pleasure in doing so. Even if Naruto didn't share his opinions on vampires Kakashi still liked the boy. His heart was in the right place, it was just a pity that he was a kid and his loyalty was misguided. Naruto had been through a lot in his short life and Kakashi didn't want to cause him any additional grief. But if that was what it took to keep him alive then he'd do it willingly.

The two humans had been so caught up in their argument that they nearly jumped when Gaara rejoined the conversation. "He'll believe you if you say that the Hunter molested you and threatened to hurt you if you told anyone."

Both Naruto and Kakashi stared wide eyed at Gaara for a moment until what he'd said had properly sunk in.

Kakashi's brow furrowed. This threat perturbed him more than Naruto's had. It would definitely overtrump his claim that Naruto had a boyfriend that had helped kill his parents. In today's society paedophilia caused as much of a stir as murder; if Naruto made such a claim Iruka would ignore whatever Kakashi tried to say in his defence. The police would be called immediately and make it a hell of a lot harder for him to watch over Naruto. There would probably be other repercussions as well, but with everything that was currently happening there was no point in thinking about those just yet.

Noticing the disconcerted look in Kakashi's eyes made Gaara smirk. The Hunter had never considered that they'd use that against him. Gaara had caught Kakashi out and now he and Naruto had the upper hand in this game.

Looking over at Naruto, Gaara noticed that the blond also looked troubled. Gaara was unsure why his suggestion should worry him – it would help them triumph over the Hunter after all. Maybe it was because the success of the plan relied upon him lying to Iruka? Gaara knew that Naruto didn't like having to lie and keep secrets from his guardian so maybe that was what caused him to hesitate?

Gaara was about to say that he could always implant the delusion into Iruka's mind to save the blond from lying to him, but decided against it at the last minute. Such a sentiment would probably make the situation worse rather than better. Mind manipulation was up there with lying in Naruto's book of taboo.

After recovering from the shock caused by Gaara's suggestion Kakashi returned to his usual state of calm indifference. "You could tell Iruka that. If he believed you then, I'll admit, it would cause me problems. But, in the end, it wouldn't matter that my cover had been blown. I can just as easily protect you from outside your apartment. Just because my first plan failed doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I'm not going to allow you to associate with vampires, Naruto; I'm not going to let you be manipulated and murdered by those monsters. Up until now I have done this by peaceful means for your sake, but if you refuse to listen to reason I will use more forceful tactics to make sure no harm comes to you." With that he turned to Gaara and took a menacing step towards the vampire. "Now, are you going to leave willingly or am I going to have to show you the way out?"

Gaara clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fury. Kakashi's blatant challenge incensed him and (regardless of the fact that Naruto had said earlier that he wanted them to work together) he was going to make Kakashi regret his overconfidence. Nobody came out of a battle with Gaara unscathed.

It was at that point that a rational part of Gaara's mind reminded him that the Hunter was a match for Deidara. The man was strong, possibly as strong as Gaara himself. And therein lay a problem. If Gaara was to take him on he'd need to be at full strength and at that precise moment he wasn't at full strength. It had been a long time since Gaara had last had the chance to feed and replenish his reserves of power. If he fought the Hunter now (when the man was potentially stronger than him) it was likely that he'd lose. To stand a chance of winning Gaara had to enter the battle when he was fully prepared and not blinded by rage.

Taking a deep breath Gaara reigned in his temper. Calm, he pinned Kakashi with a glare and growled low in his throat. "Don't worry Hunter; I don't need your assistance." Just because he'd listened to his common sense didn't mean he wasn't bitter about the fact that he'd been forced to back down from a fight.

Kakashi smiled sardonically beneath his mask and for a moment Gaara was tempted to forgo common sense and take on the Hunter regardless. He managed to resist (though barely) and instead turned to Naruto.

Naruto stared at Gaara in bewilderment, unable to believe that he was giving in that easily. "You're leaving?"

The look Naruto gave him tugged at Gaara's heartstrings. Fighting for control, he nodded. "Over the years I've learned that battles fought in haste are often lost. When I fight for you I won't lose."

Seeing the hurt, confused frown on Naruto's face made Gaara want to throw caution to the wind. Years of training stopped him, focused his mind on the bigger picture. Lose this battle and win the war – that was his plan. He couldn't lose sight of that plan, not when one wrong move could get him killed. He needed to play it smart and lock away the emotions that being around Naruto brought out of him. It was hard (and painful) but it needed to be done if he wanted Naruto to remain by his side.

Slowly, as if Naruto was a wild animal that would flee if he moved too quickly, Gaara moved his hand towards Naruto's cheek as he simultaneously leaned down to kiss the blond.

Naruto was still as Gaara moved towards him. He didn't understand why Gaara was leaving. The vampire had said something similar to the old proverb 'Choose your battles wisely' but Naruto didn't understand that. Surely this was a battle worth fighting? Kakashi was trying to stop them from seeing each other – didn't Gaara care about that?

Naruto mentally berated himself. Of course Gaara cared; the look of sadness in those deep jade orbs told Naruto exactly how much it pained Gaara that he had to leave. So then _why_ washe leaving?

Naruto didn't know, but he was sure that it wasn't because Gaara was giving up on him. There was determination in the vampire's eyes as well as sadness, a determination not to lose. It was like Gaara was silently promising to find a way around Kakashi. He would need some time to do it but he _would_ find a way. He wasn't going to give up on what they had and Naruto shouldn't either.

Belatedly Naruto realised that was the reason Gaara was leaving. Right now the only way he'd be able to stay would be if he went head-to-head with Kakashi and won. Such a fight would be sure to wake Iruka, as well as everyone in a five mile radius, making things increasingly complicated. At that moment the smartest thing for Gaara to do was to leave and wait for a more opportune moment to make a stand against Kakashi's rule of terror.

Finally understanding Gaara's reasons, Naruto gave the vampire a rueful smile and closed his eyes. The corners of Gaara's lips twitched in response. He was glad Naruto understood, glad he trusted his decision. He'd need that trust in the days to come.

Just before Gaara's hand made contact with Naruto's cheek Kakashi darted forward and slapped the hand away. At the sound of the resounding smack stunned blue and teal eyes were immediately focused upon him. Kakashi smiled grimly. "When I said it was time for you to leave I didn't mean after you'd given Naruto the kiss of death; I meant immediately."

It took a moment for the meaning behind Kakashi's words to sink in. Once they had Gaara was consumed with the urge to rip the Hunter's head from his body. All thoughts of postponing their epic battle flew from Gaara's mind – at that moment all he could think about was making the Hunter scream for mercy.

Meanwhile, Naruto was also seeing red. Kakashi had gone too far; there was no way Naruto was allowing him to get away with this.

Kakashi saw the blow coming and easily caught Naruto's wrist. He then effortlessly manoeuvred the blond into a hold whilst simultaneously whipping out his gun and aiming it at Gaara. "Change and I won't hesitate to shoot."

Gaara snarled, the edges of his iris' already gold. He managed to hold himself in check, his eyes trained on the gun as he growled, "Let the boy go."

Kakashi gave him a lop-sided smile. "I don't think you're in a position to be making demands."

Gaara released another vicious snarl, his glare shifting towards Kakashi. "If you hurt him I swear I'll kill you."

Kakashi remained calm in the face of that malicious stare, one hand steadily pointing the gun at Gaara's heart whilst the other restrained a struggling, cursing Naruto. "If I intended to hurt Naruto I would have shot you the night we met. In fact, the only reason you're still standing is because I want to kill you when he isn't watching; it's less emotionally damaging that way. That's why I'm giving you the chance to leave and never come back. However," here Kakashi's eyes narrowed and his voice adopted a menacing tone, "if after this I ever see you again know that I won't hesitate to do to you what I do to all vampire scum."

Gaara's shoulders shook as he struggled for control. His eyes were more amber than green, he could feel his lust for blood growing stronger by the second. He needed to leave before he lost control. But, if he left, it would mean that the Hunter had won. At this point that was unacceptable – the Hunter needed to be stopped before he gained any more ground. However, if Gaara made a stand he'd have to access his full power. It wouldn't be pretty; it wouldn't be something he'd want Naruto to see.

As the two conflicting desires warred in his mind, Gaara returned his attention to Kakashi's gun. The Hunter had fast reflexes; if Gaara tried to attack he'd undoubtedly get shot. Even if the wound wasn't fatal he'd still be at a disadvantage. Kakashi would overpower and kill him, regardless of whether or not Naruto was in the room.

Turning his attention to the blond, Gaara noticed that Naruto was still trying to escape Kakashi's hold. The teen's enraged curses weren't quiet, making Gaara wonder exactly how deep Naruto's guardian could sleep.

The click of the safety being removed was heard over Naruto's incensed protests. Kakashi was becoming impatient.

Gaara growled again, his gaze straying from the gun back to Naruto. If he fought the Hunter Naruto might get caught in the crossfire. In such a small room it could easily happen. And if Gaara lost control, if he got lost in the blood lust, then there was no telling what would happen. It wasn't worth the risk.

Spitting out a curse Gaara turned on his heel and moved to the window. Without looking back he dived out into the brisk night air, every one of his senses coming alive as he surrendered to the darkness within.

Gaara went into freefall for a moment before his levitation kicked in and he came to a gentle stop. His feet touched down gracefully on the pavement, his eyes still brilliant gold. A second later he was running, running towards the heart of the city. The urge to kill was still very much alive in him and he needed a way to channel it before he did something stupid.

He knew the perfect outlet.

Once Kakashi was sure Gaara wouldn't be returning he released Naruto and moved to lock the window. The teen fell limply to his hands and knees, his eyes falling shut as his entire being was consumed by a despairing weariness. He was running on empty now that Gaara was gone, now that he had nothing to fight for.

Satisfied that the window was secure, Kakashi turned back to Naruto. Guilt bubbled up inside him when he saw the state the blond was in. Kakashi hated that he was the reason Naruto looked so broken, but he knew he'd done the right thing. "I take no pleasure in this Naruto; I'm only doing it because it's for the best."

"For the best?" Naruto repeated as he jumped to his feet, his eyes ablaze with rekindled fire. "For the best – what the fuck does that mean!? Is that another way of saying, 'You'll thank me later'? Because if it is here's a newsflash for you: I won't be thanking you for ruining my life! Everything was going fine until you showed up! Sure, things weren't perfect, what with a psycho vampire after my head, but at least I had control over my own life. But now? Now I have someone dictating what I can and can't do and who I can and can not associate with! You have no right to do that! I'm fifteen Kakashi – fifteen! I'm old enough to live my own life and make my own choices. If I want to ignore your advice I should be able to, I shouldn't be forced to listen. You're not my dad – you can't tell me what to do! And don't give me some bull excuse about how you're only saying what he'd say because that just won't cut it! You don't know what he'd say, nobody does, because he's dead!"

Naruto stopped to take a deep, shuddering breath. Unshed tears sparkled in pain filled blue eyes and Naruto hurriedly turned away from Kakashi to hide the evidence of his sorrow. The Hunter had pushed too many buttons, broken too many barriers that night. It was too much for a person to take.

Kakashi stared at Naruto for a moment, still reeling from his outburst. His actions must have hurt Naruto more than he'd realized. Tasting again the bitter flavour of regret, Kakashi moved to comfort Naruto, but the blond beat him to it.

"Please, Kakashi, just leave me alone. It's late and I have school in the morning."

The Hunter stopped, his hand hovering in midair as he deliberated whether or not he should go through with the planned act of comfort.

Finally, with a soft sigh of resignation, the hand returned to Kakashi's side. He turned and made his exit, only looking back once he was outside the boundaries of Naruto's bedroom. Naruto was still in the same position as before: fists clenched, head down, shoulders hunched, back to Kakashi. He was in pain and there was nothing Kakashi could do to help him.

Releasing another soft sigh Kakashi murmured, "Goodnight Naruto," before gently closing the door.

When he was sure that Kakashi was gone Naruto dived onto his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as his defences failed and the tears fell.

Why? Why was this happening to him? Hadn't he suffered enough already, why did the past have to once again rear its ugly head? He'd thought he'd gotten over his parents' deaths, he'd thought he was ready to move on with his life, but ever since he'd visited the graveyard with Gaara the past had returned with a vengeance and ripped open old wounds.

This wasn't just about the death of his parents – it was also about the isolation he'd felt as a child. Before Sasuke and Haku he had been friendless. The other children had thought him a freak and distanced themselves from him. Now Kakashi was forcing the past to repeat itself by pushing Gaara away. Naruto couldn't understand why Kakashi was being so cruel, why those kids all those years ago had been so cruel. The only logical explanation he could come up with was that it was because he was the son of a Hunter. It was his heritage that was destroying the existence he had created; the duty and the grudges his father had passed to him were slowly but surely obliterating any chance he had of being normal.

The worst thing about this situation was that Naruto didn't know how to resolve it. He'd already tried everything he could think of to make Kakashi change his mind: diplomacy, brute force, threats, blackmail, bribery; none of them had worked and he was fresh out of ideas.

He knew Gaara had a plan (or at least an inkling of a plan) that basically consisted of waiting until Kakashi let down his guard so that Gaara could kick the shit out of him. In all honesty it did sound like a good plan, but there were two things that Naruto didn't like about it. The first was that Naruto hated waiting – he wanted to be free of Kakashi's tyranny now, not in the hazy future. His second objection was that he didn't feature in the plan. He didn't want the responsibility of getting them out of this mess to fall solely on Gaara's shoulders. He wanted to bear the burden with him; he wanted to fight alongside him. But that would never happen because in this Naruto was way out of his league. When Kakashi had put him in a hold earlier that night Naruto had tried his hardest to escape but all his efforts had been in vain. If Naruto tried to fight beside Gaara he was sure to get in the way, to distract him, to become a liability. If Naruto tried to fight they'd be sure to lose.

Naruto clutched his pillow tighter to his chest as another frustrated sob escaped him. It hurt, knowing he was worse than useless, but it didn't hurt as much as he knew it would if the plan failed. He knew that Kakashi wouldn't hesitate to kill Gaara. The Hunter saw Gaara as part of an infestation that the planet needed to be cleansed of. There would be no remorse when he pulled the trigger because, in Kakashi's eyes, killing a vampire wasn't murder – it was a service.

Eventually there were no more tears left to shed. Turning onto his back Naruto stared up at the dark ceiling. He needed to get stronger. If he was going to be of any use he had to find a way to become as powerful as a vampire. He knew it was possible; Kakashi and his father were prime examples of the fact that it was possible for a human's strength to rival or even exceed a vampire's. The only question was: how was it to be done?

Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that the answer was a secret known only to Hunters. If that was the case then Naruto was in luck because he had a Hunter living in his apartment. The only problem was that Naruto didn't trust Kakashi. He was sure that the Hunter would see his motivation for wanting to learn the trade straight away and either refuse to tell him or lie. That meant Naruto was going to have to figure things out on his own.

Using his fingers Naruto counted off the abilities he'd seen Kakashi use so far. Super strength, super speed, use of weapons, use of deception, ability to change eye colour. Naruto didn't understand why Kakashi had that last one (except possibly to aid in disguise and deception) and he was sure that being able to use a gun would mean nothing if he didn't have the first two abilities. Those were the abilities Naruto would need if he was going to return the favour and protect Gaara. Those were the abilities that would stop him from eternally being the damsel in distress.

Naruto was sure that achieving that level of power was easier said than done but that didn't matter. Once he'd decided to do something Naruto Uzumaki never stopped until he'd achieved his goal. The only question was: how did he reach that goal? Running would be his best bet; it was free, simple and convenient. In addition he could do sit-ups and push-ups and all those other exercises his gym teacher had told him about. It might be tiring and painful but it would be worth it. Every sore muscle would be a testament to how Gaara wasn't the only one fighting this battle – Naruto was right there preparing to watch his back. It was proof that he wasn't a burden.

Feeling better now that he had his own plan of action, Naruto turned to look at the clock beside his bed. The vibrant red numbers informed him that it wouldn't be long before he had to get up for school. Sighing, Naruto turned off his bedside lamp and slipped under the covers. Due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion he was going to be dead on his feet tomorrow morning.

As he closed his eyes a thought occurred to Naruto. The fact that he was so tired wasn't going to escape the notice of his two best friends. Tomorrow he was undoubtedly going to be interrogated about everything that had happened that night. Groaning at the prospect Naruto turned over and buried his face in the pillow. There really was no rest for the wicked.

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Please Review!


	11. Chapter 11

I was amazed by how many reviews I got for the last chapter that were anti-Kakashi. You know you must be doing something right if you can turn such a popular character into a villain XD I've also changed the summary as I've finally figured out what the plot is and how to make it sound interesting.

A massive thanks goes out to Tasukigirl who kindly beta-ed this chapter and helped me find a very amusing video of Dean from Supernatural ;)

This chapter takes place on the same night as the last, so we begin with Gaara being in a bad mood due to Kakashi's meddling. Enjoy.  
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Chapter 11**

Gaara entered Club Secret to the sound of harsh chords being thrashed out on an electric guitar. He looked over at the raised platform that had been cleared of all the usual DJ equipment and replaced by a band of excited young amateurs who seemed unaware that beneath the noise many members of the audience were wincing and slowly drifting towards the bar.

Gaara gave the band a cursory glance before turning his brilliant gold eyes to the crowd. There were quite a few humans mingled in with the prowling vampires to say that it was a weeknight. Most were students, the scents of youth and alcohol rolling off them in equal measure. Gaara growled, fighting hard to control the hunger the tantalising scents elicited in him. A buffet of delicacies lay before him but he had to be patient and not dive in like a pig without any inhibitions. It was a dangerous thing to do on a good day but doubly so when there was a Hunter in town.

The snarl that escaped Gaara's lips made the couple a few feet away from him jump. The Hunter was the reason he was in this state, the reason he was grasping desperately for control. The man had pushed him to the point of breaking and he was hanging on by a thread. He needed a way to release all his pent up anger before he exploded and did something he'd later regret.

Spotting his release, Gaara made his way over to the bar. Itachi looked up as he approached, surprise flickering across crimson eyes as he took in Gaara's appearance. The redhead smiled dryly, not entirely frilled that his agitation was so obvious.

Turning back to the blonde who had previously been hanging on to his every word, Itachi gave her his wry smile and said, "Forget this ever happened."

The girl blinked before a look of confusion drifted across her pretty face. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Rising to his feet Itachi shook his head. The girl blushed before smiling and hurriedly turning to the girl beside her.

Satisfied that the girl didn't remember his attempt to lure her to one of the back rooms, Itachi turned to Gaara and said, "Lead the way."

Without a word Gaara headed for the VIP section of the club. Bypassing the bar, he pushed open a set of double doors that led to a flight of stairs. With Itachi by his side he descended into the basement where he encountered another set of double doors. Pushing open the doors, Gaara entered a large room that was half the size of the dance floor above. Strip lighting above illuminated the bare stone walls and dirt floor, emphasising the empty space. Gaara quickly swept the room for signs of any intruders but found none. He then turned to see Itachi pick up the key to the double doors and switch on the 'Occupied' sign. The doors were then closed, signalling the beginning of the match.

Gaara rushed forward, his fist flying towards Itachi in the form of a punch. Itachi ducked and aimed for Gaara's ribs but was blocked. Gaara lifted his knee, but Itachi jumped clear, his leg sweeping out to deliver a roundhouse kick. Gaara blocked again, his hand grasping Itachi's ankle and throwing him across the room. The dark haired vampire travelled helplessly through the air for a second before he activated his power of levitation. His body slowly rotated itself until he was the right way up. Itachi then landed gracefully on his feet and motioned for Gaara to come at him again.

As the fight progressed it slowly became more and more violent. Gaara put all his pent up frustration into his attacks, letting out all his anger on Itachi. The younger vampire took the punishment well, not even complaining when Gaara landed a kick that he knew would have him limping home that night. He knew as well as the redhead that when the bloodlust became so demanding that you thought you'd go mad if you didn't give in to the urge this was the only way to return to sanity.

Eventually Gaara held up a hand, signalling the end of the match. The gold drained away from his vision and his fangs were retracted into his gums. Itachi gratefully collapsed against the nearest wall, his own eyes returning to their normal colour. His leg throbbed painfully but he wasn't willing to let it show. Instead he watched as Gaara took a seat beside him, the only sign that he'd been in a fight his rumpled and slightly torn clothes. Itachi smiled dryly; they were as bad as each other.

Closing his eyes, Gaara tried to regulate his breathing. The constant pulse of anger and hunger that had existed behind his temple for most of the night had been replaced by a dull ache in the rest of his body. Itachi's mental powers might have been more developed than his physical ones but he was by no means weak or unskilled in combat; the bruises that would undoubtedly be present tomorrow would attest to that.

Once he had regained his breath Itachi broke the companionable silence the two combatants had settled into. "I take it your confrontation with the Hunter didn't go well?"

Gaara's head snapped towards the other vampire. "How do you know about the Hunter?"

Itachi gave the redhead his wry smile. "My brother and I _do_ talk in between our bouts of bickering and physical gratification." The smile disappeared and Itachi became deadly serious. "Why didn't you warn me there was a Hunter in town?"

"I was preoccupied," Gaara replied, not meeting the Uchiha's eye.

Itachi sighed and turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Of course."

There was silence again in the cavernous room. Gaara gazed down at his hands, noticing for the first time the red, angry crescents his fingernails had earlier pressed into his palms; whilst Itachi continued to stare at the ceiling, his face a blank mask.

Eventually, tearing his eyes from the ceiling, Itachi spoke into the silence. "Neither Zabuza nor I have been able to locate Deidara."

Gaara's head immediately snapped towards him. "Have you searched everywhere?"

"We've searched all the usual places visiting vampires like to squat. Zabuza's currently checking to see if he's left a trail of money we can pick up but it's unlikely he'll find one." Itachi watched Gaara's expression carefully before continuing. "We can continue to search but the likelihood that we'll find a clue to his whereabouts after four days of coming up empty handed are slim."

"So what you're saying is that we should just sit back and allow him to attack Naruto?" Gaara hissed angrily.

"No, what I'm saying is that we're running out of options," Itachi replied calmly. "He's hidden himself well and if what my brother tells me is true then he will be recovered by the end of the week. If we go with the assumption that he will attack Naruto as soon as he is recovered then we have a limited amount of time in which we can locate and eradicate him. It would be more productive to devise a strategy of keeping Naruto safe instead of continuing this wild goose chase."

"That was what I was doing; until the Hunter came along and stuck his nose in where it didn't belong," Gaara grumbled bitterly.

Itachi smirked. "It's not like you to give up so easily." A murderous look flashed across Gaara's face, but Itachi cut him off before he could tear the Uchiha a new one. "As far as I'm aware the Hunter forbade you from seeing Naruto. He never said you couldn't patrol the perimeter of the apartment building."

A glimmer of understanding appeared in Gaara's eyes. "I'll be able to sense Deidara and stop him before he lays a finger on Naruto."

Itachi nodded. "In addition Zabuza and I will be able to assist you without fear of being detected by the Hunter."

A frown slipped onto Gaara's face as he listened to Itachi's proposal. It was one thing for the others to gather intelligence but another for them to physically take part in his battles. There was a fine line between helping and meddling and what Itachi was suggesting was a far cry from merely helping. He didn't want anyone to interfere with his affairs – years of experience had taught him that he worked best alone and now was not the time to break the life long habit.

With a grave shake of his head Gaara said, "The two of you don't need to get involved. This is my fight – I can handle Deidara by myself."

"Maybe," Itachi said, smiling wryly. "However, I don't think you can handle Deidara _and_ the Hunter. And possibly another, anonymous, player."

"What are you implying?" Gaara snarled, feeling defensive.

Itachi gave a small, barely perceptible, shrug. "If the Hunter decided to let you wear yourself out fighting Deidara before stepping in then you would be in a very vulnerable position. It would be ideal to have somebody you trust there to make sure the Hunter couldn't stab you in the back."

Gaara didn't reply. He didn't want to admit that there was logic in Itachi's reasoning. If such a situation did occur he would be in trouble. As confident as he was in his skills as a fighter he knew better than to underestimate Deidara. He'd sparred with the blond on several occasions and, even though he'd won every one of their matches, Deidara had always come within inches of defeating him. It had been what initially drew Gaara to him, that uncertainty of victory. Gaara enjoyed a challenge and his battles with Deidara had certainly been challenging.

Absent-mindedly, Gaara bit his lip as the memories of that failed relationship came flooding back. Deidara had always been as proud as he was and it had always seemed strange to Gaara that the blond never minded that he lost all of their matches. In fact, Deidara had always seemed more happy than disappointed that he'd lost. That had confused Gaara, made him suspicious, but eventually he had come to accept it. It had made him feel secure in the relationship, made him feel like he had all the power. For awhile he'd been happy. Then he'd realised it was a lie and his happiness had disintegrated into nothing but fine sand on the desert floor.

"I know you prefer to work alone," Itachi said quietly, breaking into Gaara's nostalgia, "but there's more at stake here than your personal pride. I'm sure the Hunter won't allow any physical harm to come to Naruto, but emotional harm is another thing entirely. He won't hesitate to kill you or any vampire that crosses his path. I doubt Naruto will take news of your death well. If you want to spare him that pain you'll let me help you."

Icy fingers gripped Gaara's heart for a moment before he was able to suppress the feeling. Itachi was right (again) the choices he made in this matter would directly affect Naruto. He couldn't make rash decisions that would end up hurting the blond – either directly or indirectly. He needed to be focused, objective, level headed; he couldn't let pride or past grudges guide his hand.

"And what abut you?" Gaara asked with a sidelong glance at Itachi. "I doubt your brother would take your death well either. Why are you putting yourself in the line of fire?"

Gaara was slightly taken aback when Itachi smiled at him. It wasn't his usual ironic smile either – it was one that seemed wholeheartedly sincere. "That's what friends do Gaara. They watch each other's back when one of them is in trouble."

Gaara was speechless. It was the first time Itachi had ever called him his friend. He'd known that the other vampire was loyal to him, that he enjoyed his company, but he had never considered the possibility that Itachi thought of him as a friend. Friends were more of a human concept than a vampire one. Vampires had allies, people they could rely on not to stab them in the back, but friends were more than that. Friends trusted each other, confided in each other, did stupid and reckless things because that was what all their other friends were doing. Vampires weren't like that; they weren't overly social creatures. They sometimes worked together because it was convenient, but they never got truly close to people. Their inner, darker nature always prevented it; the primal Hunger whispering in their ear that their supposed ally wouldn't hesitate to take their kill or their Partner. The suspicion that the voice planted was usually enough to deter most vampires from making acquaintances, let alone friends. And yet Itachi still considered him a friend…

Itachi placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "If it bothers you that much pretend that I said I'd do anything for my brother and that he in turn would do anything for Naruto." With that Itachi gracefully rose to his feet, his face returning to its usual state of bored indifference. "Let's return to the club. We should have time for some blood and a beer before the sun rises."

Gaara scrutinised Itachi for a moment, the gears in his head whirling. "You said that there may be another player in this game. What did you mean by that?"

"Somebody moved Deidara when he was unconscious. There is a potential third enemy that has yet to step out of the shadows."

"Do you have any idea who it might be?"

Itachi shook his head. "It could be Deidara's accomplice or it could be another Hunter who accidentally stumbled onto the body. Either way the matter becomes more complicated. That's why you need Zabuza and I to watch your back."

Gaara dropped his gaze. Things were becoming more intricate and he had a lot to think about.

Sensing his companion's mood Itachi said, "Take your time. If you want to talk I'll be upstairs."

Itachi turned and headed towards the exit. He paused as his hand touched the handle, a barely audible whisper catching his attention.

"Thank you."

Itachi smiled, pushed open the door, and left Gaara alone with his thoughts.

**

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**"It's about time you woke up."

Deidara's eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar voice. His head strained to find the source of the cool, clinical tone, but he was unable to move his neck. Pausing, taking a moment to gain his bearings, Deidara tried to raise his arms. Straps stretching across his chest and covering his wrists prevented the action.

Panic gripped Deidara and he began to thrash wildly, regardless of the restraints that imprisoned his limbs. Above him his captor chuckled and eased himself into the blond vampire's line of sight. Noticing the silver hair and glasses perched on a thin nose Deidara ceased his struggles. Bearing his fangs he growled, "Kabuto you rat! Release me right now!"

Kabuto smirked, pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose; an age old habit of his that always got on Deidara's nerves. "I don't think that would be a good idea. If I release you you'll move and aggravate your wounds. As a doctor it is my duty to make sure all my patients are completely healed before I discharge them from my care."

"Don't give me that crap! We both know that you don't give a damn about your 'patients'."

Kabuto's grin widened, revealing his fangs. "In that case you should also know that you're in no position to be making demands. Torturing you won't be nearly as satisfying as making a human writhe in pain, but all pain is good pain in my book."

"If you think I'm going to help you get your kicks you're in for a rude awakening," Deidara said, smirk in place as he accessed the hidden reservoir of dark strength inside him. His eyes blazed crimson as the raw power spread through to his limbs, strengthening them and making them weapons of mass destruction…

The dark power retreated, returning Deidara's body to normal capacity. The blond blinked blue eyes, unsure of what had happened. Kabuto laughed, the eerie sound travelling straight through Deidara. "Do you not remember that fall you took? In a human the damage to your neck and back would have been fatal. Luckily for you your powers of healing and my medical training saved your life. However, you used a lot of energy to bring yourself back from the brink of nonexistence. It's going to be quite a while before you regain enough strength to break out of your restraints."

Deidara cursed silently at the miscalculation. It was a rookie's error to not know your own limits. If he hadn't been so caught up in planning how he was going to make Kabuto suffer for this humiliation he would have noticed how weak he felt. He would also have noticed the Hunger.

Smirk firmly in place, Kabuto pushed back his slipping glasses. "To have any hope of recovering your strength you're going to need blood. Unfortunately you're in no condition to go hunting, and seeing as my blood is useless in this instance we are left with only one option."

Kabuto disappeared from Deidara's sight but returned a moment later with a small bag full of a deep red liquid. Deidara began to salivate; the raw, primal urges encouraging him to reach out and _bite._

Satisfied with the reaction, Kabuto continued, "Human blood, fresh from the local hospital, and all yours if you cooperate and answer a few simple questions."

Deidara tore his eyes away from the sachet of blood. It couldn't possibly be this easy. Kabuto had him weak and defenceless and was offering him a way out of it at an outrageously lenient price. There had to be a catch – Kabuto wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of making sure he didn't die unless he wanted to do more than ask a 'few simple questions'. But the blood…

The angry gurgle of Deidara's stomach returned his gaze to the sachet. He needed blood desperately; he needed the liquid life more than the air he breathed. His fangs were already elongating, his eyes turning a lustful red. His body was preparing to receive the offering, preparing to surrender pride and common sense in order to taste the sweet nectar that would finally satisfy the dark hunger inside.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Deidara cried, struggling against the restraints in an attempt to tear the plastic bag from the doctor's hand.

Kabuto smirk victoriously and created a small slit in the bag. He pressed the slit against Deidara's lips, allowing the blood to slowly seep into his mouth. Deidara swallowed furiously, ensuring that not a drop was wasted. When the bag was finished he growled, causing Kabuto to chuckle darkly. "There's plenty more where that came from. Once you've answered my questions you can have as much blood as you want." Deidara bared his fangs but otherwise remained quiet. Taking this as acceptance of his terms, Kabuto asked, "Why did you have me look up Kushina Uzumaki's medical records?"

Deidara said nothing, his glare hungry and murderous.

Kabuto sighed. He reached down and picked up another sachet of blood. Deidara immediately began to struggle, an enraged hiss escaping his lips.

"Is this enough of an exchange for a truthful answer to my question?" Kabuto asked, a hint of mockery in his tone.

Deidara growled and shook his head. It was hard to think clearly when every fibre of his being was demanding that he rip out Kabuto's throat and take the packets of blood from him.

Sighing again, Kabuto removed the blood from Deidara's line of sight. "I see you're too incapacitated for this method of interrogation," he said sadly, ignoring Deidara's infuriated snarls. "How about we attempt a different approach? I'll tell you my theory on the matter and you'll tell me whether I'm correct. That doesn't sound too hard does it?"

Deidara screwed his eyes shut as he concentrated on suppressing the bloodlust. He needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to play Kabuto's game and get out of this mess. Kabuto was crafty and knew how to get what he wanted. If Deidara wasn't careful he'd give the silver haired vampire the information he needed and then he'd be disposed of. There was no way Deidara was going to allow that to happen.

Deidara relaxed somewhat as the red fog partly withdrew from his mind. He released his breath in a long sigh and said, "So what's your theory?"

Deidara could hear the smirk in Kabuto's voice as he leaned forward. "My theory is that the Hunter Namikaze had a wife."

Deidara kept his eyes closed as a wave of dread washed through him. He tried not to let it show as Kabuto continued to talk.

"More accurately, I think Kushina Uzumaki was Namikaze's wife. When you asked me to get you those medical records I looked at the photo attached to the file. She was the woman in the car, the one we killed along with Namikaze, wasn't she? We didn't make the connection at the time because she hadn't changed her last name. But after you called me I did some digging and found the marriage certificate."

Kabuto paused and Deidara felt another wave of panic and possessive rage sweep through him.

"Do you know what else I found during my search? I found a birth certificate for one Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. And that was when I realised that you'd discovered Namikaze had an heir and were going to finish him without me."

"Like you wouldn't have done the same!" Deidara growled, opening his eyes to pin Kabuto with his glare. "I know you hated the fact that you had to share Namikaze's murder just as much as I did! If you'd been smart enough to figure it out first you wouldn't have told anyone of your discovery – you'd have gone alone to get your revenge for your precious Orochimaru!"

Instantly Kabuto had Deidara by the throat, a snarl escaping his lips as his irises changed from black to murderous gold. "Don't you dare speak his name in such a disrespectful tone of voice."

Deidara smirked even as Kabuto cut off his oxygen supply. "My point exactly."

With a low growl Kabuto released him. He glared at Deidara as the blond giggled hysterically in between bouts of harsh coughing. "You're right – I would have gone after him on my own. Once I'd made the connection I rushed to the boy's address with the hope that I'd be able to beat you to the kill. I guess it's a good job I didn't get there before you, otherwise it'd be me strapped to that table wouldn't it?"

Deidara stopped giggling, a hoarse growl building in his throat.

Kabuto's usual smirk returned to his lips as he regained the upper hand. "Another bonus of not being the early bird is that I had the chance to witness your battle against the Hunter and your ex.-"

"Gaara isn't my ex," Deidara interrupted.

Kabuto raised a cynical eyebrow. "Really? Does that mean your lover regularly tries to break your neck by sending you on a four storey drop onto concrete?"

Averting his eyes Deidara mumbled, "That was a misunderstanding. Gaara loves me." Then, without warning, his eyes blazed brilliant red, as if the fires of Hell burned behind them. "It's the blond rat's fault! He stole Gaara from me! He put a spell on him; he must have made my precious believe he was me! That's the only reason Gaara would try to protect him!" With a primal roar Deidara tried to wrench himself free of his restraints. "I'm going to _kill_ him. I'm going to tear him limb from limb; I'm going to rip out his throat and drink his blood. I'll rip out his heart so that he knows how he's made me feel, and then I'll_ eat it _before his eyes, and then I'll gouge them out too."

"As wonderfully gruesome as that sounds, we have to capture the boy before the torture can begin," Kabuto said calmly, interrupting Deidara's maniacal laughter.

The blond vampire scowled at him. "I know that; I'm not stupid."

"No, you're definitely not stupid, but you can be rather arrogant. You underestimated the Hunter and you underestimated Gaara when you fought him in the graveyard."

Deidara was about to say something about the pot calling the kettle black when a thought struck him. "How did you know that I fought Gaara in a graveyard?" Then, as realisation dawned, a fresh wave of fury crashed over him. "You bastard! You read my mind whilst I was unconscious!"

"Guilty as charged," Kabuto said, not sounding the least bit sorry. "It was a golden opportunity that only a fool wouldn't take. You really should improve your defences by the way; even if you were unconscious it was far too easy for me to get inside your head."

"Fuck you," Deidara hissed, banging his clenched fists against the table in frustration when his struggling didn't even slacken the fetters.

"I don't see why you're so upset," Kabuto said as he casually ran a finger over one of the restraints. "Your little tangle with Gaara and the Hunter must have shown you that you're severely outmatched. Now that I know the full extent of the situation I can help you get your revenge."

"What if I don't want your help? What if I want to kill the brat by myself?" Deidara asked with a glower.

"By all means, go ahead and attempt to enact your revenge," Kabuto encouraged before a sardonic sneer twisted his lips. "Whilst your precious redhead is busy reacquainting your face with the pavement there will be nobody guarding the boy and I'll be able to enact _my_ revenge."

Deidara growled, bearing his fangs. "Don't you dare to go behind my back or I will rip your spleen from your body and-"

"You know I could just kill you right now," Kabuto said absently as he picked up a scalpel from a nearby tray of instruments. He inspected it with a critical, contemplative eye before placing the blade against Deidara's throat. "It's not like you could stop me if I tried."

Pain flared in Deidara's neck as the blade was slowly dragged across his skin, leaving a shallow but vicious cut in its wake. The vampire bit his lip to silence his hiss of discomfort, his body stilling as the blade moved closer to his artery.

The scalpel was removed and Deidara watched as Kabuto licked the blood from it. Golden eyes regarded him sardonically, the smile quietly mocking. "I _could_ kill you," Kabuto clarified, "but I'm not going to. You see, out of the original group I can say for definite that you were the strongest. You might not have been much of a team player, but you were strong and that was why I included you in my hunt for Namikaze.

"Your strength has saved you again, Deidara. I've already called the others and they will be here within a few days. By that time you should be healed enough to join us. That is, if you're willing to swallow your pride and follow the plan I have devised. If not then I'm afraid I'm going to have to eliminate you; you're too much of a wild card to be left alive."

"I thought you just said you couldn't carry out your plan without me," Deidara said quietly, trying to avoid aggravating the cut across his throat.

Kabuto stared down at him coldly. "No, what I said was having you on my side would increase the plan's chances of success. You know Gaara, you know his fighting style, you could keep him occupied whilst the rest of us found Namikaze's son. If you aren't willing to cooperate then somebody else will have to fight Gaara instead. The plan is flexible in that respect."

Deidara closed his eyes as he organised his thoughts. Kabuto had tied his hands – the only options he had were the ones the silver haired vampire had presented him with. Deidara had no intention of dying without exacting vengeance so, even though it grated that he had to accept Kabuto's help, he would join forces with the vampire in order to take out their collective enemy.

Besides, Deidara thought with a sneer, the longer he lived the more options became available to him. He might yet be the one to deliver the blow that would end the blond brat's life.

"Fine, I'll handle Gaara for you, but you better not double cross me."

"I could say the same to you," Kabuto replied coolly as a smirk slipped onto his lips. He then released the strap restraining one of Deidara's wrists and placed his hand in the blond vampire's. "Shake on it."

And as the partnership was forged both vampires contemplated just how satisfying their betrayal would be.

* * *

I know Naruto wasn't in this chapter, but he will be back next time with his new theme music. *Starts singing along to Eye of the Tiger*

Please Review!


	12. Chapter 12

I'm sorry for the very long wait for this chapter. It's been a real pain to write and my life has been very hectic. I thank you all for your patience and reviews, and hope this lives up to your expectations. If not you can be assured that the next chapter (whenever I find time to write the bloody thing) will be very fun indeed ;)

My prediction is that there will be four more chapters after this one, and maybe an epilogue. But that all depends on wordcounts and whether my plan can be executed the way I want it to be.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

It had been a long night. Glancing at the glowing green numbers of his watch, Kakashi noted that he only had ten more minutes of guard duty left. He sighed wearily before taking another sip of his tea.

Naruto had taken his intervention a lot worse than he'd anticipated. He'd expected the teenager to be angry, expected him to put up a fight. What he hadn't expected was for him to take it so personally. Kakashi mentally cringed at the memory of Naruto's broken expression. If he'd known that separating the blond from his vampire would be such a painful experience for him, Kakashi would have been far subtler about it. After all, the only reason he'd done it was to protect Naruto – the last thing he'd wanted to do was cause the boy pain. Yet somehow, even after all the precautions he'd taken, this was exactly what he'd done.

Kakashi finished off his tea before placing his cup on the table in front of him. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come here. He should have known that he couldn't just appear out of thin air, tell Naruto that vampires existed and that the one who had murdered his parents was back to claim his life, and expect the teenager to follow his every order. If someone had approached him when he was Naruto's age and tried to insert themselves into his life as he had inserted himself into Naruto's, he probably would have been as angry and uncooperative as Naruto was being. Then again, Kakashi had never been like Naruto. He'd never been a hothead who relied on his heart to make decisions; he'd always calmly analysed a situation before using logic to decide the best possible course of action.

In retrospect, this was probably where he'd gone wrong. He'd considered how _he_ would react at fifteen to the news that his life was in danger. By fifteen he'd been Minato's apprentice, following his teacher from the shadows in order to learn the trade of the Vampire Hunter. If he'd been approached at fifteen he would have taken it all in his stride and aided the person trying to help him. But Naruto wasn't like him, nor was he like Minato. He didn't inspire Kakashi with confidence; he didn't make him hang onto his every word. He didn't analyse situations and then decide what was right. He didn't demand respect. Those were the traits Kakashi attributed to his teacher as a young man, and Naruto clearly did not possess them. If he had, Kakashi would have been swayed into seeing the world his way and would have consented to allowing Naruto to be alone with a vampire. But Naruto was not that person and that was not how things had played out, and Kakashi couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed about that.

Slipping his hand into the pocket of his jacket, Kakashi felt a wave of melancholy wash over him as he fingered the frayed edges of the last photo ever taken of himself with his teacher and fellow pupils. The four of them had spent the day in a small restaurant talking about old times and new occurrences. They'd laughed and joked and Kakashi had smiled more that day than he had in a long time. Much later Kushina had arrived, Naruto asleep in his pram after an exhausting day at the park. Both she and Minato had stared at their son with such love in their eyes that even Kakashi (who had never been all that interested in children) had wondered if maybe someday he'd have a son to call his own. Then Kushina had pulled out a camera and demanded that there be a group photo to document their reunion. Kakashi had protested, but had surrendered after a few words from Obito and Rin.

So the photo had been taken, and a few weeks later had arrived in the mail with a brief letter from Minato. Kakashi had thought nothing of it at the time, expecting there to be many more of a similar ilk to come. Now it was a precious treasure; a snapshot of a time before his reality was ripped to shreds by tragedy. It was also a reminder that he had a job to do. He would avenge their deaths, he would make sure that Deidara and anyone else who had a hand in their murders paid for their crimes. He would carry on Minato's legacy; he would save the people Obito and Rin never had the opportunity to try to save. He would make sure that no vampire ever caused another human to suffer the pain he had suffered when he lost them.

Kakashi smiled bitterly as he removed his hand from his pocket. The way things were going he was going to fail to carry out his current duties the same way he'd failed to carry out his previous ones. If only he'd been able to convince Obito to train a little before going after Deidara, then maybe everything would have been different. But he hadn't convinced him – he'd failed his friend and himself. And now it seemed he was walking down the same path with Naruto, who was far too like Obito for comfort. They were both rash fools who stood up for their beliefs and ideals of justice, even when others told them they were wrong. It was an admirable trait to possess, but one Kakashi couldn't help feeling would get Naruto killed. That was why he felt the need to intervene in Naruto's affairs, especially where Gaara was concerned. Naruto was too trusting; he was blind to the truth of the vampire's nature. The two needed to be separated for Naruto's own good. Kakashi had done nothing wrong in banishing the vampire from the apartment. He was in the right and someday Naruto would realise that. Or so he kept telling himself.

The sound of a door opening broke Kakashi out of his reverie. Turning, he watched as a yawning Iruka exited his bedroom. The brunet, still clad in sleepwear, rubbed groggily at his eyes as he dragged his feet in the direction of the kitchen.

"Good Morning," Kakashi greeted, making Iruka jump.

Kakashi tried to keep his expression neutral as Iruka stared blankly at him. After a moment of awkward silence a look of understanding dawned on Iruka's face, followed quickly by a deep blush. "Ah, yes, good morning Kakashi. Sorry about that, I'm not really with it this morning."

"Did you not sleep well?"

"Oh no, I did the opposite. I slept so well that it's taking a lot of effort to wake up." Iruka raked a hand through his messy hair, a look of confusion spreading over his features. "I hadn't realised I was that tired; it must have been a more stressful day than I'd thought," he muttered absently to himself.

Kakashi smiled sympathetically, secretly relieved that Iruka suspected a stressful day rather than foul play as the cause of his deep sleep. The special herbs Kakashi had placed in Iruka's tea before he went to bed had obviously done their job. Naruto's guardian had been undisturbed by the conflict that had taken place in the next room; instead he had slept soundly all night. Kakashi was glad; it would have been quite difficult to explain exactly how Gaara had gotten into Naruto's room and why the blond was very much against him shooting the fanged intruder.

Noticing that Iruka was still looking quite dazed, Kakashi coughed to get his attention. "Perhaps you should go see if Naruto is awake? I believe this is the usual time he gets ready for school?"

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at the clock. "You're right. Thank you," he mumbled as he hurried towards Naruto's room.

After seeing that the sun had risen and that no harm had befallen Iruka, Kakashi decided that it was time for him to sleep. He wasn't particularly tired, but he figured it would be less awkward in the small apartment if he feigned sleep. He doubted Naruto had forgiven him for the night before and had little interest in starting a confrontation in front of Iruka. It would be better for everyone if he allowed Naruto some more time to cool off.

Kakashi lay down on the couch and covered himself with a blanket. He closed his eyes, his sharp senses still alert for signs of danger. He listened to Iruka's footsteps as he moved from Naruto's room to the kitchen. When a second pair of footsteps followed he evened out his breathing, creating the appearance of sleep. The footsteps paused for a moment before moving elsewhere. Kakashi relaxed and allowed the noise of everyday life to wash over him. He'd try to make amends with Naruto tonight. He just hoped the blond would listen.

* * *

Naruto yawned as he took a seat next to Sasuke. He then proceeded to fold his arms, lay them on the desk, and fall asleep on them.

A sharp jab to his side made Naruto groan and open one eye to glare at the Uchiha next to him. Sasuke met his glare head-on and said, "We have business to discuss."

"Can't it wait until later?" Naruto grumbled as he once again closed his eyes.

"No," was Sasuke's curt reply.

"What Sasuke means to say is that Gaara met up with Itachi at Club Secret last night and it would be a good idea to discuss their conversation now rather than later."

"Haku, no long sentences; my brain can't take it."

A sharp pinch to his arm effectively roused Naruto from his lethargy. Sitting up, he glowered at Sasuke as he rubbed his abused arm. "Bastard," he hissed vehemently.

Sasuke ignored Naruto, addressing Haku instead. "Itachi sent me a text last night detailing his encounter with Gaara. He said Gaara was in quite a state after the Hunter kicked him out, but Itachi managed to calm him down. He also said that the two of them were going to patrol outside Naruto's building tonight in case Deidara or any other unwelcome guests show up."

"Sasuke, you told me all this before Naruto arrived," Haku said with a roll of his eyes. "Shouldn't you be talking to him instead of me?"

Sasuke gave Haku a sour look before turning to Naruto. "Now it's your turn. What happened last night?"

Rubbing tiredly at his eyes, Naruto replied, "Kakashi basically said that I couldn't see Gaara anymore, and that if Gaara came to my apartment again he'd kill him. Then he pointed a gun at Gaara and told him to leave."

"What?"

"Yeah," Naruto muttered bitterly. "I tried to talk Kakashi out of it but no matter what I said or threatened to do he seemed to have the perfect comeback ready. Then he got bored of the argument and got out his gun. He wouldn't even let Gaara kiss me goodbye." Naruto paused for a moment before asking in a significantly gentler voice, "Is Gaara alright?"

"He's fine," replied Sasuke. "Itachi calmed him down and made sure he didn't do anything stupid."

After a minute or so of silence Naruto noticed that his friends were staring at him. "What?" he asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"Are _you_ alright Naruto?" asked Haku.

"Err, I suppose so. I mean, I didn't get much sleep last night so I'm really tired but-"

"I didn't mean alright in that sense. I meant are you ok mentally and emotionally? Watching the Hunter pull a gun on Gaara can't have been easy for you."

Naruto turned to glare at his desk. "No, I'm not ok," he growled. "I hate that bastard for thinking he can just waltz into my life and start calling the shots. I hate that he's a closed-minded, stubborn _asshole_ who can't see that Gaara isn't a threat – he's trying to help save me! And I hate that I can't do a fucking thing to stop Kakashi because he's just so much stronger than I am!"

The despair of the night before had transformed into pure loathing. Every time Naruto remembered what Kakashi had said and done – every time he recalled feeling helpless and isolated – it was rage that filled him instead of anguish. He was tired of being pushed around by the Hunter in his own home and he wanted to do something to change that. His epiphany the night before (that he could train himself to become as strong as a vampire) had inspired him to stop feeling sorry for himself. From now on he was going to do everything in his power to become stronger in order to protect Gaara and his friends from Kakashi.

Turning back to look at his friends, Naruto noticed that they both seemed worried. "What?" he snapped.

Haku and Sasuke shared a look before Haku said carefully, "It's just that it's been awhile since we've seen you this angry. I'm not saying you don't have a right to be angry – because you do – it's just that...when you're angry you tend to act rashly, and then you're more likely to get yourself into trouble. Sasuke and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

The sentiment sobered Naruto. Taking a deep breath he dragged his fingers through his hair and turned slightly calmer eyes back to his friends. "You don't need to worry about me; I promise I won't let myself get hurt."

Sasuke wasn't convinced. "You attract trouble like a magnet, and at the moment that trouble is in the form of a determined Vampire Hunter and a gang of vampires out for your head. Do you really expect us to believe that you can stop yourself from getting hurt?"

"I do not attract trouble!" Naruto countered before registering the rest of Sasuke's sentence. "What do you mean a gang of vampires are after me? I thought it was only Gaara's ex who wanted me dead?"

"Itachi suspects that Deidara might have an accomplice who's hiding him. That's why he and the others are going to be patrolling the streets around your building tonight. Were you not listening when I told you this earlier?"

"No," Naruto replied unrepentantly. "Why would another vampire apart from Gaara's ex want to kill me? And why would they want to help Gaara's ex?"

"If your father really was a famous Vampire Hunter there are probably a lot of vampires out there who hold a grudge," suggested Haku.

Naruto frowned, not liking this possibility.

"Whatever the reason, it means that Deidara is twice the threat everyone initially thought," interjected Sasuke. "Which means Naruto needs to be twice as careful."

"You make it sound like I walk the streets at night advertising myself as a tasty meal!"

Haku snickered whilst Sasuke glared.

"Relax Bastard; I'm not going to go out looking for vampires to fight. Tonight I'm going to stay in my room and sleep."

Sasuke made a small contemptuous noise before turning away from Naruto. Naruto childishly stuck out his tongue before also turning away. Haku laughed and shook his head before focusing his attention on Naruto. A contemplative look took over his features as he mused, "It's a pity Gaara doesn't believe in computers or you could have conducted your relationship via the internet."

"What do you mean Gaara doesn't believe in computers?"

"According to Zabuza Gaara's a bit of a technophobe," explained Haku. "He's tried to convince him that computers aren't evil but Gaara still refuses to get one. He believes in traditional methods of entertainment and communication."

"But Gaara's got a TV in his apartment; that's not exactly traditional."

"Zabuza and Itachi had the place modernised when Gaara moved in. They told him if he ever had any human visitors they'd be suspicious if he didn't have all the appliances normal people have, and eventually he relented. Sometimes he even uses them for the purposes they were designed for."

Naruto laughed, surprised by this new piece of information. His laughter quickly died as he thought about his last encounter with Gaara. In Naruto's eyes Kakashi was a much bigger problem than Deidara. The blond vampire might be insane and pose a serious threat to Naruto's life, but at least Gaara and the others seemed to know how to deal with him. They'd had the situation under control until Kakashi had turned up and hijacked the operation. The Hunter, on the other hand, was unpredictable. Nobody really knew his abilities or how his mind worked; he was a difficult foe to undermine. Furthermore, he had successfully managed to separate him from Gaara. Naruto didn't know when he'd next see the vampire again and that thought was thoroughly depressing.

Using the psychic powers Naruto was convinced he possessed, Haku smiled and asked, "Why don't you meet Gaara at his apartment?"

Naruto stared at him blankly. "Huh?"

With a long-suffering sigh, Haku reiterated. "If you miss Gaara go to his apartment after school; I'm sure he'd be pleased to see you."

Naruto continued to stare uncomprehendingly at his friend. "Won't Gaara still be sleeping when school's finished since he's, you know, a vampire?"

"Vampires don't sleep all day, Idiot," Sasuke interjected, unable to stay out of the conversation any longer. "Vampires only need to sleep for a few hours every so often. They only spend the day indoors because they don't want the sun to incinerate them."

As Sasuke spoke, Naruto remembered his second visit to Gaara's apartment. Gaara had awoken around midday and they had spent the afternoon together. After mentally berating himself for his slip up, he turned to Haku with a wide grin. "You're a genius Haku! I'll go to Gaara's after school and we can say goodbye properly, without Kakashi interfering."

"You're welcome Naruto," laughed Haku. "Just remember to get Iruka and Gaara's permission before you go."

"Yeah, of course," Naruto said distractedly as he searched his pockets for his phone. Eventually he pulled it out and began to type out a text to Iruka. He was halfway through when he realised that he needed a reason why he was going to be home late.

Once again utilising his psychic powers, Haku laughed and said, "Tell Iruka that you're shopping in town with me and that you'll be back before it gets dark."

Flashing his friend another grin, Naruto completed the text and sent it. He was about to begin a second text, this one to Gaara, when he realised that he didn't have the redhead's number. Feeling awkward, Naruto turned to his friends and asked, "Do either of you have Gaara's number?"

Sasuke smirked as Haku pulled out his phone and handed it to Naruto. "You should be ashamed that he has your boyfriend's phone number and you don't." Naruto flipped Sasuke the finger before returning to inputting Gaara's number into his phone. "I wouldn't file that under Gaara if I were you, just in case the Hunter decides to take a look at your phone."

"Why? Will Kakashi use Gaara's number to send him prank phone calls or something?" Naruto asked flippantly.

"No, he'll use it to find Gaara's address. Or had you not noticed that the number is for a landline instead of a mobile?" replied a scowling Sasuke.

Realising that Sasuke was in fact correct; a now worried Naruto filed the number under a different name. If Kakashi found out Gaara's address he could sneak round during the day and attack Gaara whilst he was sleeping. Naruto just hoped that Gaara wasn't listed in the phonebook, and that he also hadn't inadvertently let slip any clues relating to Gaara's whereabouts.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Naruto turned his attention back to the task at hand. If Gaara didn't have a mobile he'd have to call him. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Naruto decided it was too early to ring. Gaara would probably still be sleeping; he'd ring at lunchtime after he'd gotten the green light from Iruka.

Grinning at the prospect of seeing Gaara again, Naruto put his phone away and returned his attention to his friends.

* * *

Not for the first time that week were the documents in front of him failing to keep his attention. With an aggravated growl Gaara gathered up the papers and filed them away for later consultation. He then closed his eyes, took up a meditative pose, and focused on his breathing.

Ever since he'd received the call from Naruto he'd regretted inviting the blond to his apartment. Gaara was painfully aware of the dangers involved in such an action; if the Hunter followed Naruto then Gaara would be in serious trouble. Everything being even, Gaara was pretty sure he could win a fight against the Hunter. However, all their encounters so far had not been even, and if they met during the day then the tables would be tilted even further in Kakashi's favour. Sunlight didn't affect the Hunter, but if any part of Gaara's skin came in contact with it he would burn almost instantly. That was why vampires were most vulnerable during the day, and why most Hunters chose that time to confront their prey. Gaara had heard plenty of stories about powerful vampires being killed during the day, and had consequently developed a healthy dose of paranoia ever since Kakashi came into town. As much as he wanted to see Naruto, self-preservation came first.

A knock at the door dragged Gaara out of his thoughts. The vampire was instantly out of his seat and peering through the peephole. On the other side of the door stood Naruto, the look on his face one of barely controlled excitement. Forcing himself not to smile, Gaara opened the door and dragged Naruto inside. He then promptly closed and locked the entrance. "Were you followed?"

Naruto blinked, obviously not expecting this reaction from him. "I don't think so."

Gaara checked the peephole again before extending his senses out into the hallway. The only movement he could detect was that of his neighbours; there was no trace of the Hunter anywhere. However, that meant nothing; the Hunter was skilled and could be hiding just out of range of his senses, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"What's going on Gaara?"

Gaara turned back to Naruto and took in his anxious expression. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down. "I'm just trying to establish if the Hunter followed you here. I would rather he not know my place of residence."

A look of understanding dawned on Naruto's face. "He doesn't usually meet me after school. He probably thinks he doesn't need to play bodyguard when the sun is out."

Gaara nodded, but wasn't reassured by the news. Just because the Hunter hadn't followed Naruto from school so far didn't mean that this was a pattern he could trust; Kakashi could have decided to wait a few days before stalking Naruto in order to lure him into a false sense of security. If that was the case the Hunter could still be out there, just waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

As if sensing the direction his thoughts were taking, Naruto grabbed hold of the collar of Gaara's shirt and dragged him down to his level. "If you tell me that jerk Kakashi is more intriguing than me I swear I'll kick your ass."

Gaara's lips twitched into his trademark half-smile. He then closed the meagre gap between them; one hand snaked its way into Naruto's blond tresses whilst the other gripped the teenager's waist. Naruto responded eagerly, his grip on Gaara's collar tightening as he leaned into the kiss and forced Gaara into the door behind him. Gaara's back connected with a muffled thump, which he ignored in favour of taking Naruto's bottom lip between his teeth. The vampire resisted the temptation to bite, and instead trailed kisses from Naruto's lips along his jaw line and down his neck to the opening of his shirt. He then looked into Naruto's lust filled eyes and asked, "How long do we have together?"

Naruto stared at him absently for a few seconds before the question registered. "I don't know. An hour maybe? I need to catch a bus that will get me home before it gets dark."

Gaara nodded, doing the calculation in his head. "Yes, that gives us just under an hour together." He then locked gazes with Naruto and said, "That doesn't give us much time. Is there anything you wish to discuss, or should I return to demonstrating how much I've missed you?"

"Err..." Naruto's brow creased in concentration as he considered Gaara's question. After a moment of thought, a smile made its way onto his face. "Oh yeah! Thank Zabuza and Itachi for me when you see them will you? Sasuke told me that they've volunteered to help you play Night Watchman for my apartment." Naruto laughed as his smile morphed into a devious grin. "Hopefully I'll be able to repay the favour soon."

That last sentence caught Gaara's attention. He stared hard at Naruto and the expectant expression on the blond teen's face before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh nothing," Naruto replied, his attempt to sound casual ruined by his still present grin. "I've just decided that I'm going to train myself so that I can be as strong as a vampire."

Naruto's sly grin faltered when Gaara's expression darkened. This was not the reaction he'd predicted he would receive. He'd expected the vampire to be proud of his decision to fight back, or maybe amused by how calmly he'd declared his ambitious goal; he hadn't anticipated that he would be pinned with Gaara's probing glare.

"And how, exactly, are you planning to achieve your objective? Has the Hunter offered to give you lessons?"

"No!" Naruto protested, suddenly realising why Gaara was so suspicious of his goal. "It's not like that Gaara! This has nothing to do with Kakashi! Well, okay, it does – but not in the way you think! It's just that last night I felt so powerless against him and hated it. So I started thinking about what I could do to change that, and realised that Kakashi is human too. If he can fight vampires on their own terms then I should be able to as well. I thought that if I started working out, doing running and stuff, then I could become strong like a Hunter; then I'd be able to help you fight Kakashi and your ex."

Gaara's glare lost some of its edge, but he was still clearly tense. "A human cannot achieve the speed or strength of a vampire simply by working out."

"But Hunters are human and they're just as strong as vampires!" Naruto objected, trying not to pout.

Gaara moved his hands to Naruto's shoulders; his grip was firm without being painful. "Hunters are not human. They may look and act like humans but at their core they are something different, something _more_. Being human you can't sense it, but the Hunter has an aura that is different from a normal human's. It's powerful and laced with magic."

"Magic?" Naruto interrupted. "Are you saying Kakashi is a wizard?"

"No. The Hunter's magic is not something he can control. It is a part of him, it glows strong when he fights, but I don't think he is actively aware of manipulating it. From what I've observed, it is a similar magic to that which creates and sustains the animation of a vampire. And before you ask, no, I do not know how that magic works. All I and every other vampire I have ever met knows is that it is present and that it is the source of our abilities."

Naruto was quiet for a moment as he thought this over. "So, what you're saying is that I shouldn't try to become as powerful as a vampire because I'm not a freak like Kakashi? I don't have his magic aura?"

"You do not have the same aura."

Naruto sighed, dejected.

"You are disappointed? I would have thought that you would be glad that you are different to the Hunter?"

"Yeah, but if I don't have this magic aura thing you were talking about then there's no way I can get stronger." When Gaara continued to look confused, anger flashed through Naruto. He forced Gaara's hands from his shoulders and took a step back. "You don't get it do you? You're a vampire – super strong and able to handle anything that comes at you. But me? I'm just human! You keep telling me that if I try to fight I'll die so I have to sit by and watch other people put their lives at risk for me. Do you know how frustrating that is? Do you know how useless that makes me feel? I don't want to have to ask other people to fight my battles for me! I want to be out there fighting alongside them! That's why I wanted to get stronger! I wanted to be able to protect the people I care about and not just be dead weight! But why should you understand that? It's not like you've ever had to ask people for help."

Gaara was silent as Naruto regained his breath. "Before I met you, you would have been correct. Back then I relied on my own strength and did not trust others enough to ask for their help. But ever since you came into my life I have found myself relying on others. I have needed Itachi and Zabuza to chase leads whilst I watched over you. And now I fear I will need them when I fight Deidara." Gaara sighed and reached out to touch Naruto's cheek. "Trusting people and accepting their help is not something I am use to doing. That is why I understand your frustration. Change is never easy to accept. You use to understand the world and be able to hold your own in it. Now you are forced to rely on others to guide you through."

Again Naruto shied away from Gaara's touch. "Don't pretend to understand me. You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"You think all periods of time are uniform? That nothing ever changes?" Gaara sneered. "Well you're wrong. As a vampire I have seen the world change more times than you can imagine. Each time I have had to adapt. It is not always easy to make such transitions."

Naruto paused as a thought occurred to him. "How old _are_ you?"

"That fact is irrelevant to this conversation."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, resolute. If Gaara was trying to dismiss his question it meant it was something he didn't feel comfortable discussing. Partly out of curiosity, partly out of spite, Naruto said, "I'll make you a deal. I'll accept that you've seen a lot of change and know what it's like to be helpless, if you tell me how old you are. Deal?"

Gaara glared at him, clearly not happy with the terms. "I don't need you to believe me. If you wish to be angry with me then do so. I don't care."

Naruto was more than a little surprised when Gaara brushed him aside and stalked off into the bathroom. He'd expected the vampire to argue with him, or to try to distract him from his question; he hadn't expected Gaara to just walk away.

"Gaara?"

When Naruto didn't receive a reply he hesitantly made his way towards the bathroom. Slowly, he entered the blue and white tiled room, and found Gaara staring into the mirror above the sink, his hands tightly gripping the sides of the porcelain basin as he leaned forward. From this position Naruto couldn't see the vampire's expression, but it was clear from Gaara's posture that he was tense. The thought that perhaps his words had truly hurt the other male made its way into Naruto's mind. The last of Naruto's anger quickly vanished to be replaced with a sudden feeling of guilt.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Gaara. I didn't mean to. I was just angry that there wasn't a quick-fix way to make me strong. I'm sorry I took my frustrations out on you. It's Kakashi who I'm pissed at and I should've-"

"Over one hundred."

Naruto stalled in his apology and focused again on the vampire before him. "Huh?"

Gaara reached up and prodded his cheek, his gaze still firmly trained on the mirror. "I've been a vampire for over one hundred years. I'm not comfortable giving a more accurate figure."

Naruto stared dumbstruck at Gaara's back as he tried to process this new information. No wonder Gaara hadn't wanted to tell him his age; if Gaara hadn't been a creature that didn't age he would have been an old man. A really old man. Naruto shivered at the thought.

"That's old."

Gaara turned to give him an exasperated glare. Naruto grinned.

"You look good for your age. I can't see any wrinkles."

Gaara's expression was unreadable. "The age difference does not disturb you?"

"Well, it does a bit," Naruto admitted. "But I'm shallow, so the fact you look like a teenager makes everything okay."

Gaara's expression remained unreadable as he walked towards Naruto. With two fingers the vampire tilted the teenager's chin upwards and stared hard into his eyes. After a minute of uncomfortable silence Gaara released him and said, "There is one way for you to become stronger."

Instantly intrigued, an excited grin spread across Naruto's face as he asked, "What is it?"

"Become a vampire."

The grin slipped from Naruto's lips. "Become a vampire?" he echoed quietly.

Gaara nodded. "Vampire law holds that, except in exceptional circumstances, a human must be eighteen years old when they make the decision to change. I know it is not an instant solution to your problem, but if you can survive until your eighteenth birthday you will have the chance to gain the strength you desire."

Naruto was silent as he thought about Gaara's proposal. It had never crossed his mind that he could become a vampire. He'd been thinking about what he could do as a human, never realising that there was a second option. If he was a vampire he could fight alongside Gaara; he could protect him for once. He'd be a super strong immortal that never aged. At the same time, he'd never be able to go out in the sun again, he'd have to drink human blood, he'd have to constantly fight to restrain his vampiric dark side. Those were the downsides to being a vampire; the question was whether or not they outweighed the benefits?

A hand gently cupping his cheek brought Naruto out of his thoughts. Gaara was staring at him as if he was trying to read his mind. Naruto shivered at the realisation that such a thing was possible for the vampire.

"Don't think about it. You are not yet old enough to make that decision. When the time comes we can discuss it in more detail. For now, be content in the knowledge that one day you will be strong enough to fight alongside me, if you so desire, and repay the debt you have convinced yourself you owe me and our acquaintances."

Naruto inhaled slowly before nodding his assent. "Ok. I promise not to think about it until I'm nearly eighteen."

"And will you promise to be content as a human until then?"

"I'm not going to promise that." At the look of annoyance that materialized on Gaara's face at his answer, Naruto added, "But I do promise to not try any crazy training without consulting you first."

Gaara rolled his eyes before smiling. He then leaned in for a short, tender kiss. Naruto responded by wrapping his arms around Gaara's shoulders and pulling him closer. They continued to kiss coyly for a minute before Gaara pulled back and asked, "Are there any more awkward questions you wish to ask me, or are we going to spend the rest of our time together enjoying the pleasures of physical gratification?"

"Why can't you just talk like a normal person and say you want to kiss?" Naruto asked cheekily.

"Because I'm old," was Gaara's simple reply.

Naruto bit his lip to try and stop himself from thinking about exactly how old Gaara was. It was creepy and not something he particularly wanted to dwell on.

"Yeah, I have a question. Do you have a family? Were they turned into vampires too or are they...?"

The look on Gaara's face gave Naruto his answer. But before Naruto could back-peddle and apologise for being insensitive, Gaara said, "I don't know."

Naruto frowned at the statement. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Gaara shifted uncomfortably, his gaze turned away from Naruto. It surprised the blond how such a simple question could agitate the usually composed vampire.

After nearly a minute of awkward silence, Gaara sighed and said, "I suppose I might as well tell you now... I don't remember my life as a human. I don't know why I don't remember and I have no desire to find out. It is likely that those memories will bring nothing but pain."

"What makes you think that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Retrograde amnesia is caused by either damage to certain parts of the brain, or by the psychological need to suppress traumatic memories. As far as I'm aware I do not have brain damage, which leads me to the conclusion that my mind is suppressing my human memories in order to protect my sanity."

"Or another vampire could have meddled with your memory."

Gaara made a face that indicated he had purposefully left out that option. "That is a possibility, but a highly unlikely one. When a vampire permanently alters a person's mind they leave a trace of themselves – a mental signature. I have explored my own mind countless times and found no foreign signatures there."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, deciding he didn't want to know whether or not Gaara's mental signature was all over his own mind. "Isn't there anyone you know who knew you when you were human and can tell you about your past?"

Gaara tensed and suddenly looked a lot more uncomfortable than he had before. "My Sire and I do not discuss such matters."

"Your Sire? Is that the person who turned you into a vampire?"

"Yes."

Something was wrong, Naruto realised. Simply talking about his Sire had put Gaara on edge, even more so than when he was discussing his distressing lack of knowledge about his human life. He could understand Gaara being disturbed by and not wanting to talk about a past he couldn't remember, but why was he so uneasy about discussing the person who had made him a vampire?

Before Naruto had time to properly consider the matter, Gaara had tilted the blond teen's chin upwards so that their gazes were firmly locked. "Naruto, I'm sure you have questions, since your curiosity seems to be limitless, but this is one topic that should not be probed. Know now that I will not answer questions about my Sire or my past. There are some skeletons that should never leave the closet. Do you understand?"

Naruto pouted. He wanted to know more about the person who had made Gaara a vampire, wanted to know all about Gaara's adventures over the centuries. But he'd already pushed Gaara into revealing something about himself that he didn't want to once today, so he supposed he could wait until Gaara felt confident enough to share his past with him.

"I understand."

The look in Gaara's eyes was overwhelmingly grateful. It made Naruto even more curious as to what Gaara didn't want to tell him, but he was able to push his curiosity to the back of his mind. The fact that Gaara was once again kissing him helped with this immensely.

In what felt like no time at all, Gaara pulled back and said, "I believe it is time for you to catch your bus."

Naruto reluctantly looked at his watch. Much to his disappointment, his watch confirmed Gaara's suspicions. With a sigh he returned his attention to the vampire in front of him. "Can I come visit tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow," Gaara said solemnly. "Come the day after tomorrow; and be careful of the Hunter – make sure he doesn't follow you."

"I'll be careful," Naruto said with a grin. "You know I would never willingly lead him to you."

"I know," Gaara mumbled as he leaned in for a final kiss.

They parted reluctantly and made their way to the exit. Gaara unlocked the door and allowed Naruto to step out into the hallway. Looking back, Naruto gave a mock-salute and said, "See you on Friday then."

Gaara nodded and waited until Naruto had reached the end of the hallway before closing and relocking the door. Then he sighed and moved to sit on the sofa, where he intended to brood over his worries about Naruto, and the things that he had revealed to the boy, for the next few hours.

* * *

Iruka stared at the phone resting on the passenger seat. He was highly tempted to call Naruto and make sure he was alright. Ever since Iruka had found out that there was a madman after his adopted son he had been finishing work early and driving Naruto home after school. Tonight was different, however, as Naruto had texted to ask if he could spend some time with Haku after school. Initially Iruka had wanted to say no, to tell Naruto that it was too dangerous, but then he'd remembered how sad and angry Naruto had been that morning. He'd tried to hide it but Iruka had noticed. He'd also noticed how tired Naruto had looked, as if he'd not had enough sleep. It worried Iruka. He knew Naruto was also stressed and that he should be with his friends, but at the same time Iruka wanted to keep the boy close. He'd been tempted to tell Naruto to invite Haku over to their apartment so that he could keep an eye on the two of them. However, he'd eventually managed to talk himself out of that course of action. Naruto wanted to be alone with Haku, and that would not happen if he came to their apartment. Iruka was sure Kakashi would have questions for Haku, questions about his relationship with Naruto. Iruka didn't want to put either teenager through that sort of interrogation, not when they already had so much they had to deal with. That was why Iruka had called Naruto on his lunch break and given him permission to do something with Haku, so long as he didn't go anywhere by himself and got back to the apartment at least half an hour before it got dark. Naruto had readily agreed to his terms and told him not to worry. Iruka had replied that he wouldn't, had reassured himself that the agents Kakashi had said were watching Naruto would protect him and get him home safe. Still, he couldn't help wanting to call Naruto, even if doing so would interrupt the teenager's alone time with his boyfriend and annoy him.

Naruto's boyfriend. Thinking of Haku as anything other than one of Naruto's best friends still felt bizarre to Iruka. He just couldn't wrap his head around the sudden change. Naruto had never once indicated that his relationship with Haku was anything more than platonic. Had Iruka missed the signs? Had Naruto's recent bout of secrecy been a result of his changing feelings towards Haku? It was something Iruka had not had time to think about since Kakashi had appeared, and now that he had been reminded of it he was curious. Maybe it was time for him to have a talk with Naruto. He wanted to know what was happening in his adopted son's head and the only way he was going to get answers was if he asked him directly. For such a talkative person, Naruto was very good at avoiding subjects he didn't want to discuss.

"You're home early."

Iruka blinked, surprised to find himself in his apartment. Apparently he'd walked from his car to his living room on autopilot. Iruka quickly focused his attention on Kakashi, as the FBI agent was looking curiously at something just over his shoulder.

"Where's Naruto?"

"He's out with his boyfriend. That's why I'm home early."

Kakashi froze. "Boyfriend?" he enquired carefully.

"Yes, his name's Haku." When Kakashi continued to look concerned, Iruka began to ramble. "He's in Naruto's class at school; the two of them have been good friends for years. I also know the parents; they're good people who adopted Haku after his parents died when he was young. You don't need to worry about any of them being involved with whoever is after Naruto – they would never try to hurt him. I'm sorry if this is information I should have told you earlier, but they only started dating recently and I've not really had time to adjust to the idea of them being more than friends what with everything that's been going on and-"

Kakashi held up his hands and said, "It's alright Iruka. This _is_ information you should have disclosed earlier, but if this boy has known Naruto since they were children then I doubt that he is a threat."

Iruka let out a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the sofa beside Kakashi. He closed his eyes and said tiredly, "It's hard, you know? Trying to do everything that needs to be done while still keeping up a brave face for your kid."

A hand gripped Iruka's shoulder reassuringly. "You're doing a good job. A lot of people fall to pieces when I show up in their homes and tell them they're in danger."

Iruka sighed and rubbed at his eyes. "Sometimes I do feel like I'm falling to pieces."

"You're being too hard on yourself. You're a good father and Naruto's lucky to have you."

Iruka smiled. "Thank you Kakashi."

There was a moment of comfortable silence between them. Kakashi's hand remained on his shoulder, and Iruka relished the feeling of having someone to comfort him for once. So often he was the one consoling others – at work as well as at home – that it felt nice to be taken care of. He was glad Kakashi was there. It had been awkward at first having a stranger in his home, but now it was immensely reassuring to know that there was someone there to protect him and Naruto. Iruka felt like he could relax with Kakashi around – the man was trained to see things ordinary people didn't see so there was no need to be constantly vigilant. He didn't need to worry about safety or fear being attacked as long as Kakashi was around. Whoever was after Naruto surely wouldn't be stupid enough to try to attack him when he was so well protected, would they? No, they'd wait until they thought he was vulnerable before trying to take him, and by then the FBI would hopefully have apprehended them. Then this nightmare would be over, and everything could return to normal.

As they sat there together, a thought occurred to Iruka. "Kakashi, do you know why Naruto was upset this morning?"

Iruka opened his eyes and turned to look at the agent as the other man slowly removed his hand from Iruka's shoulder. "Naruto and I had words last night after you went to bed. I think he's having a hard time trusting me. It didn't help that I was asking him personal questions: who his friends were, if he was in a relationship, if he did drugs, etc. He was very evasive and said such things were not relevant to my investigation...that I shouldn't act like I'm his father."

"I'm sorry," Iruka apologized. "Naruto can be very secretive sometimes, even with me."

"There's no need to apologize," Kakashi said with a casual smile. "I shouldn't have pushed him to tell me things he didn't want to reveal. I'm not use to dealing with teenagers, as you might have guessed."

Iruka smiled too. "Teenagers can be quite difficult creatures to get along with sometimes." Placing a hand on Kakashi's shoulder he added, "Don't worry, you'll figure them out eventually."

Kakashi chuckled. "I'm sure I will."

Still smiling, Iruka stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Coffee, please."

A few minutes later Iruka returned with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Kakashi and was rewarded with a smile and quiet word of thanks. He then resumed his position on the sofa beside the agent, and they once again fell into an amicable silence.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kakashi enquired, a somewhat guarded expression occupying his face.

"Sure," Iruka replied as he sipped his coffee.

"You said Naruto had started dating his friend recently? How soon is recently?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Iruka replied honestly. "Naruto told me about his relationship with Haku on Saturday. I think that might have been their first official date, but Naruto has been quite secretive for a few weeks now. I think maybe that's when he first started having feelings for Haku. I can't tell you when he started to act on them though, or when Haku started to return them. I've not yet had the chance to interrogate him about it. Why do you ask?"

"It's procedure to ask about all romantic relationships," Kakashi replied with a reassuring smile.

Iruka nodded, but he couldn't help noticing that Kakashi's expression had become contemplative. His answer hadn't been that interesting, had it? Iruka didn't think he'd imparted any significant information to the agent, so why did Kakashi look so pensive? Was there something significant about Naruto having his first date on Saturday? Or was it the fact that the teenager had been preoccupied for almost a month that had Kakashi so lost in thought?

"Kakashi, is there something you're not telling me?"

Kakashi's eyes flashed surprise before an easy grin spread across his face and his eyes transformed into two crescent slits. "Of course not Iruka."

As much as Iruka wanted to believe him, there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind that told him he was being lied to. Kakashi knew something about Naruto, something neither of them were willing to share with him. It had something to do with Naruto dating Haku, Iruka was sure of it. He'd been suspicious when he'd first heard that the two of them were a couple, and he was doubly so now.

It was definitely time for him and Naruto to have a chat.

* * *

Please Review!


	13. Chapter 13

Shorter chapter than usual but that's because I thought you'd all rather have something now instead of waiting another few weeks for an extra 500 words.

In other news: I'm on holiday now so I'm going to try and churn out the last few chapters of this story. I predict there will be 3 or 4 more chapters, depending on how the action plays out.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The cafe was practically empty. A few students were seated at surrounding tables, but Naruto was unable to identify any of them. They all looked older than him; looked like couples hoping to grab a few moments of privacy before they were forced to return home. Naruto watched the nearest couple lean in close and whisper to each other. The girl giggled and the boy grinned awkwardly. They held hands, fingers interlinked over the table. They were blissfully unaware of being watched.

Iruka placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of Naruto and sat down opposite him, effectively blocking Naruto's view of the couple he had been spying on. "Thanks," Naruto said as he took a sip of the beverage.

Iruka nodded and sipped his own cup of tea. For a moment he didn't say anything, clearly contemplating how to begin the conversation. Eventually, he put down his cup and sat back straight in his chair. "I suppose you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you here."

Naruto nodded. When Iruka had dropped him off at school that morning he'd said that he'd pick him up at the end of the day so that they could talk. He hadn't said what about, he'd only assured Naruto that he wasn't in trouble. All day Naruto had been trying to work out what Iruka wanted to discuss with him.

"Well, I suppose the first part of the answer to that question is that I chose to talk here instead of at home because I thought you would be more comfortable without Kakashi looking over your shoulder."

Naruto couldn't prevent a small smile from gracing his lips. He'd wondered if Iruka had noticed the tension between him and the Hunter. It wasn't as if he'd been subtle about his dislike of Kakashi and, although the Hunter had initially maintained his distance, last night the supposed FBI agent had been unable to resist questioning Naruto about where he'd been that afternoon. Naruto had told him where he could stick his questions and tried to storm off into his room, but Kakashi had intercepted him and continued to press him for information. He'd asked about Haku and why Iruka thought he was Naruto's boyfriend; he'd asked if going out with Haku was a cover story for meeting Gaara. For one horrifying moment, Naruto had thought that Kakashi knew he'd been to visit Gaara. But then he'd realised that Kakashi was just fishing, that he suspected the tryst but couldn't prove it. With this realisation, Naruto had once again told Kakashi where he could stick his suspicions and slammed the door to his room in the Hunter's face. He hadn't spoken to the silver haired man since.

Iruka leaned forward slightly, his eyes and tone serious as he said, "The second part of the answer is that I want to talk to you about the thing you and Kakashi have been hiding from me."

Naruto froze. After a heart-stopping second of panic, he forced a grin onto his face and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Iruka's expression was stony. "Don't lie to me Naruto. I know." Naruto's eyes widened, his mouth going dry as Iruka continued. "I know that Haku's not your boyfriend. I know you're dating someone else. So why don't you stop lying and just tell me who it is? I promise not to be angry."

Naruto was torn between relief and terror. Relief because Iruka didn't know about Gaara and vampires, terror because Iruka had promised not to be angry. Whenever he promised that it usually meant that he was going to be disappointed instead, which in many ways was worse than him being angry. It also meant that there was no way Naruto could lie to him anymore. When Iruka knew something was amiss he was very good at spotting lies. There was no way Naruto could look his guardian in the eye and say that Haku was his boyfriend. It was time for Iruka to know the truth.

Naruto sighed. "Alright. I'm dating someone other than Haku. His name is Gaara, he's a few years older than me and that's why I didn't want to tell you about him."

"Where did you meet him?"

Naruto bit his lip as he thought of the best way to phrase his reply. "He's a friend of Sasuke's brother. You remember that party of Itachi's I went to a few weeks ago? He was there. We started talking and just...clicked, I guess."

Naruto decided to stare at his hot chocolate instead of meeting Iruka's gaze.

"How did Kakashi find out about him?"

"He saw us together and after that there didn't seem much point denying it." Naruto frowned, his grip tightening on the mug in his hands. "Kakashi doesn't like Gaara. He thinks he's one of the people trying to hurt me, but I know he's not. Gaara would never do anything to hurt me. That's why Kakashi and I are fighting."

"I see."

Naruto kept his gaze firmly trained on his drink. The silence between them was killing him, but there was no way he was going to break it. There was no way he was going to raise his head to see the disappointed look on Iruka's face. At that moment he sincerely wished he was anywhere in the world but that cafe opposite his clearly infuriated guardian. He just wished Iruka would hurry up and tell him his punishment so that the silence would end.

"I want to meet him."

Startled, Naruto looked up. Iruka smiled, not looking nearly as angry or disappointed as Naruto had expected.

"This Gaara is clearly important to you. I want to meet him so that I can form my own opinions on him."

A smile slowly spread across Naruto's face. "Iruka you're amazing!"

Iruka frowned. "Don't think this means you're off the hook for lying to me. You're still grounded for a week."

Naruto nodded, suppressing a grin. Being grounded for a week was nothing compared to what he'd imagined Iruka might do when he found out about Gaara.

Sitting back in his chair, Iruka once again smiled and asked, "So, when do I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. I'll call and ask him when he's free."

As Naruto dug around in his pocket for his phone Iruka said, "If he's free tonight invite him over for dinner."

Naruto grinned as he fished out the phone. Kakashi was going to be so pissed when he found out.

* * *

"This is a bad idea."

Iruka sighed as he turned to face the scowling FBI agent. They'd been having this conversation for almost an hour. Kakashi was like a dog with a bone – he just wasn't willing to give it up. "I don't think so. Naruto has been dating this Gaara person for weeks now and nothing's happened; why should tonight be any different?"

"You're tempting fate by bringing him into your home."

"That's not a real answer." Iruka's frown was starting to match Kakashi's as the other man slowly wore through his patience. "If you want me to cancel this dinner then you need to give me a proper reason to do so."

"I have given you a reason – he's involved with the people who are trying to hurt Naruto."

"Naruto doesn't think he is."

"Naruto is blinded by his affection. Gaara has tricked him into trusting him. No matter how many times I point out how dangerous he is Naruto refuses to listen to me."

"I'm not surprised if all you're giving him is vague warnings about confidential material you can't reveal."

Kakashi glowered. "I came here to protect you and Naruto. Do you not trust me to do my job?"

Iruka rubbed at his eyes. He felt very tired all of a sudden. "I do trust you Kakashi. But I also trust Naruto's instincts. He's a surprisingly good judge of character. Years ago, not too long after his parents died, he befriended a boy called Sasuke. Sasuke was always insulting Naruto's intelligence and the two of them were always fighting, so I told Naruto that he shouldn't be friends with him anymore. Naruto told me that that was just Sasuke's way of showing he cared, that he really was a good person. I didn't believe him and tried to prevent them from seeing each other out of school. Then, one day, I saw a group of kids ganging up on Naruto. I could tell he was close to tears, but before I could intervene Sasuke stepped in. He got rid of the bullies and even gave Naruto a bar of chocolate to make him smile. Today those two still bicker constantly, but deep down I know they'd do anything to protect each other. That's why I trust Naruto on this."

"You're willing to compromise your safety because as a child Naruto was right about one boy being his friend?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"How am I compromising my safety? I'll have an FBI agent at my table and a whole lot more waiting outside in case something happens. Can't get much safer than that," Iruka replied with a sly grin.

Kakashi still looked unhappy, but it was clear that he couldn't find a good counter argument.

Iruka tried not to look too smug as he added consolingly, "Kakashi, I know you're only trying to protect us, but you've got to remember that Naruto is a teenager. You've got to at least give the appearance of being fair otherwise he'll never listen to a word you say." Iruka's sly grin returned as he added, "Besides, as Naruto's guardian it is my God-given right to interrogate any potential suitors. And trust me when I say I'm not going to let just anyone date my son."

Kakashi's eyes widened for a moment before he chuckled. "I think I've misjudged you Iruka."

"People often do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner to prepare." With that Iruka turned his back on Kakashi and set to work pulling pots and pans from the cupboard.

* * *

As nightfall approached Naruto set up camp by the front door. His heart pounded in his chest as the feeling that maybe this wasn't such a good idea steadily made its insidious presence known. Kakashi was hovering not that far away, clearly sharing Naruto's desire to be the first one to greet Gaara. Occasionally they shared a look, but Naruto always turned away before the Hunter could begin a conversation. He had nothing to say to the man; even gloating didn't seem appropriate as Naruto was no longer quite sure if Iruka really had handed him a victory over Kakashi. True, Naruto was going to be seeing Gaara when Kakashi had warned him to stay away, but Kakashi was going to be there when he did and might very well let something slip that would get him in trouble with Iruka. It seemed whether the night would be a victory or a defeat depended very much on how Naruto played his cards and whether he managed to outmanoeuvre Kakashi. He was very glad that he'd have Gaara by his side whilst he engaged in this deadly dance with the Hunter.

Suddenly, Kakashi tensed. His hand slowly drifted to where Naruto knew he kept his gun, informing the blond that their guest for the night had arrived. As if to confirm this there was a short but firm knock at the door. Naruto dived for the door and stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him before Kakashi had a chance to move. He grinned up at Gaara as he held the door shut. Gaara gave him a quizzical look before shooting a glare at the door at Naruto's back. "I take it the Hunter will be joining us for dinner?"

"Unfortunately." It took Naruto a moment to notice that underneath his coat Gaara was wearing a black three-piece suit and burgundy tie. He grinned as he commented, "I see you came dressed to impress."

"I was under the impression that this was the point of this evening – to impress your guardian?"

"It is, and I'm pretty sure he will be impressed." Naruto slipped his hand beneath Gaara's coat and ran his fingers over the fabric of the waistcoat. Naruto didn't know much about suits but he could tell that this one was made of good quality material. It was also old and well-worn in the sense that it spoke of many an outing while still retaining its original elegance. Naruto wondered how many decades Gaara had owned it. However many it had been would only be a small fraction of Gaara's true age.

Gaara gently took hold of Naruto's hand and brought it to his lips. "Do not worry, everything will be fine."

Naruto smiled and was just about to lean in for a kiss when the handle jostled in his grasp. He held tight, thinking it was Kakashi trying to burst in and ruin their moment. From the other side of the door he heard a sigh and Iruka's voice calling him. "You've had plenty of time to prep him Naruto; it's time to face the music."

A look of panic flashed across Naruto's face. He hadn't thought about preparing Gaara, about giving him last minute hints to make the evening run smoothly, he'd been too distracted by his daydreaming and now he was out of time.

Gaara smirked at the expression on his face. He slowly reached around Naruto and pried his hand from the door. Naruto looked on helplessly as Gaara gently turned him round by the shoulders to face the entrance to what felt like his doom.

"You're the one meeting the parents; why am I the one freaking out while you're as cool as a cucumber?" Naruto asked as Gaara's hand returned to the door handle.

"I've endured worse interrogations."

The door swung open to reveal Iruka. His arms were crossed in a gesture of impatience but Naruto could see the amusement in his smile. As soon as his eyes met Gaara's the amusement disappeared and was replaced by stern disapproval. "You must be Gaara; I've heard nothing about you."

Gaara bowed his head and said, "I apologise for the secrecy of our relationship but we felt it necessary to conceal it after others had already frowned upon it."

Gaara sent a glare towards Kakashi, who was still hovering in the background. The Hunter glared back, his dislike of Gaara made all the more obvious without his mask. Iruka glanced between the two and sighed. "I hope you can both be civil to each other tonight. You're under my roof so you'll abide by my rules and, as Naruto will tell you, rule number one is 'no fighting'. Neither of you are too old for a timeout."

Kakashi stared at Iruka in a manner that made Naruto think the man was sulking. Gaara was looking bewildered, as if he'd never been threatened with a timeout. Naruto tried not to laugh as he turned to the vampire and said, "Iruka's a teacher. Sometimes he forgets himself and treats everyone like little kids."

"Naruto," Iruka reprimanded, although he couldn't stop himself from looking just a little bit sheepish.

Naruto grinned unabashedly. "Aren't you going to invite Gaara in Iruka?"

Iruka gave him a look before indicating that Gaara should enter. Carefully propelling Naruto forward, Gaara stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him. He then removed his coat and shoes and placed them among the already vast collection by the door. Finally the vampire walked forward and offered his hand to Iruka. "I thank you for the invitation and the chance to prove my worth to you. I would have brought a gift but I did not think flowers or a bottle of wine would be appropriate."

Iruka shook Gaara's hand, his eyes skimming over the redhead's suit with obvious approval. "It's no problem," he said with a smile. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Naruto, why don't you seat our guests at the table while I finish up in the kitchen?"

With that Iruka disappeared. Naruto walked over to the table and indicated where Gaara should sit. Kakashi sat opposite the vampire whilst Naruto seated himself to Gaara's left. The two guests immediately began to glower at each other. Naruto would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't still mad at Kakashi and felt like joining Gaara in glaring at the Hunter.

After a moment of palpable silence Kakashi leaned forward to whisper, "This isn't a victory. This is an opportunity for me to prove to Iruka that you're dangerous. Once he recognises that you're a threat to his son's safety he'll help me to make sure you stay away from Naruto."

"I'm sitting right here," Naruto muttered, with a scowl.

The two guests ignored him. "Or perhaps he will see through your lies and realise that my only interest here is protecting Naruto," replied Gaara. "Then he will send you away and you will be unable to interfere."

"You overestimate your ability to charm, vampire, and underestimate my skills at persuasion."

"You were unable to trick Naruto into joining your side."

"That is because you had already gotten your insidious hooks into his mind. Which reminds me – if I see a hint of those pretty golden eyes of yours I won't hesitate to shoot."

"I don't need my abilities to win this battle."

"I doubt that."

"Still sitting right here guys," Naruto interjected with a note of frustration.

Gaara glanced at him before reaching out to take his hand. Naruto allowed him to interlock their fingers and tried not to smile too widely at the dark look Kakashi gave them. "To what degree is your guardian comfortable with displays of affection?" Gaara asked as his thumb caressed the joints of Naruto's hand.

"He'd probably be ok with hand holding but he might think you're doing it just to piss off Kakashi." Gaara gave him a mischievous look that said that was exactly what he was doing. Naruto returned the look with his own foxy grin.

It was at that point that Iruka walked in with two steaming bowls of pasta. "I hope this is alright," he said as he placed the bowls in front of Gaara and Kakashi. "It was a bit of a last minute thing and Naruto didn't say if you had any special dietary requirements."

"This is perfect, thank you," Gaara replied, releasing Naruto's hand as Iruka left to retrieve the two remaining bowls of pasta.

When Iruka returned and the four of them began to eat the real interrogation began. "So Gaara, what do you do for a living?"

"I work in the law department of a local firm. I mostly review contracts and offer legal advice."

"So you have a steady income?"

"Yes."

"What about a criminal record?"

"No."

"Kakashi seems to think you're involved with the people trying to hurt Naruto."

Gaara sent the Hunter a dark look. "He is mistaken. I would never intentionally harm your son."

"So how do you think he got this misimpression of you?"

Gaara considered his dinner as he mulled over how to answer the question. He could sense Naruto's worry and the Hunter's eager gaze. He could always not answer the question, could leave it to the Hunter to provide a suitable reason for his suspicions, but that would allow the Hunter to twist the situation. It would allow him to dictate the rules of the game and Gaara would much rather sound unconvincing than offer nothing in his defence.

"I suppose there is the convenience of our relationship. I become close to Naruto around the same time that this group makes an attempt on his life? If I was in law enforcement I would consider that a suspicious coincidence." Gaara paused, contemplated how much truth it was wise to speak in front of the Hunter. "There is also the fact that in my youth I associated myself with some rather unsavoury people. I lost my family and for a time that caused me to lose my humanity. I have now severed my ties with those parts of my past, however. I am trying to be a better person to make up for any transgressions committed when I had lost my way."

"Drugs?" Iruka asked, and there was an obvious note of sympathy in his voice.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry about your family. What happened to them, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'd rather not say."

Iruka nodded understandingly. He then forced himself to return to the role of protective and intimidating parent. "So drugs. What made you get clean?"

"A friend. He made me realise that there was something in my life that I was missing. I suppose he showed me that I had options and didn't need to remain on the path I was on. He made me believe that I could be more than I was."

"What's the name of this friend?" Kakashi asked casually.

Gaara glared at him. "If I give you his name you will harass him too. You seem to be suspicious of anyone connected to drugs."

Kakashi smiled grimly. "Experience has taught me that drug addicts aren't all that trustworthy and that those who stand by them are either gullible or addicts themselves."

"Maybe that's because you've never given them a chance to prove themselves," Naruto accused.

"Or perhaps I'm just a realist."

"Kakashi," Iruka warned. "I thought we agreed that you'd let me ask the questions."

"Sorry," Kakashi apologised. "My curiosity got the better of me."

Iruka watched Kakashi for a moment longer before returning his attention to Gaara. "How do I know you won't relapse and start using again? What assurances do I have that Naruto won't pick up your old habit?"

"Iruka! You know I'd never do drugs!" Naruto protested but was ignored by his guardian.

Gaara looked Iruka straight in the eye as he answered, "I've been clean for years and I have no intentions of relapsing. I left my old triggers behind when I moved to this city. I cannot give you any physical proof or assurances that I will never use drugs again. All I can offer is my word that I would never expose Naruto to that. I know the damage addiction causes and I would not wish him to suffer because of it or me."

Iruka nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. He offered Gaara a smile as he asked, "How did the two of you meet?"

Both Gaara and Naruto relaxed a little. It seemed Iruka had finished with the hostile and invasive questions and returned to somewhat safer ground.

"A friend introduced us," Gaara answered.

"The same friend who convinced you to get clean?" Kakashi asked sardonically.

Gaara glared at him but it was Iruka who said, "Naruto said you met at Itachi's party is that correct?"

"Yes."

"I've personally never met him but his brother has always spoken well of him."

Gaara nodded. "He and Sasuke have always been close."

Iruka smiled again and said, "I hope dinner was ok. There's more pasta in the kitchen if you're still hungry."

"I am quite full thank you. Dinner was wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear it." Iruka quickly cleared the table and moved the empty bowls to the kitchen. He then returned to his seat and cheerfully asked Gaara, "What do you do in your spare time?"

The rest of the evening progressed as well as could be expected. Iruka continued to quiz Gaara but by that point it was clear that he approved of him. Naruto thought that it was Gaara's seemingly blunt honesty that had endeared Iruka to him. Iruka was a sucker for giving people second chances and Gaara had made himself sound like the poster boy for rehabilitation. He was polite with a good job and the ability to not rise to any of Kakashi's jabs or underhanded comments; Gaara hadn't really given Iruka any reason _not_ to like him. Of course Iruka's opinion would probably change if he found out that Gaara was a vampire, but not even Kakashi was willing to let slip that little titbit of information. None of them wanted to involve Iruka in this more than he had to be, even if his enlightenment would likely win him over to Kakashi's side. By the end of the evening the Hunter was silently fuming, well aware that his hopes that he could undermine Gaara had failed. It took a lot of effort for Naruto not to look too pleased about that and he was sure the same was true for Gaara.

It was late when Iruka looked at his watch and announced that it was time for Gaara to leave. He shook Gaara's hand after handing him his coat and told him that he would have to come to dinner again when Naruto was no longer grounded. Gaara agreed and sent Kakashi a smug look when Iruka turned his attention to Naruto.

"I'll give you two minutes to say goodbye out in the hall and then I'm going to drag you apart," Iruka warned, trying and failing to look stern.

"Thanks Iruka," Naruto said with a grin. He then grabbed Gaara's hand and dragged him out into the hallway, closing the door firmly behind him. With a relieved sigh he slumped back against the door and said, "That went better than I expected."

"Did you not think I would be able to charm your guardian?" Gaara asked, the edges of his lips quirked in amusement.

"It's not your charm I doubted – it was more the fact that I'd lose my cool and just spew the truth everywhere, or that Kakashi would find a way to make you sound like the villain."

"He might yet try to do so, but I have told my side of the story and your guardian does not seem to be one to be swayed by prejudice."

Naruto shook his head while smiling. "Even though I was worried that tonight would turn into a massive train wreck I've enjoyed it. It's been nice to spend some legitimate time with you."

"Agreed," Gaara mumbled as he cupped Naruto's jaw and leaned in for a kiss. Naruto kissed back eagerly, one hand gripping Gaara's shirt in an effort to keep him in place. However, the sound of knuckles rapping on the door at Naruto's back effectively put an end to any plans to deepen the kiss. Gaara sighed against Naruto's lips and whispered, "Goodnight," before stepping back.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled back. "See you when I'm no longer grounded."

Gaara smiled as he headed for the stairs and out onto the street. Naruto returned to his apartment. Iruka smiled at him and told him that he liked Gaara before sending the teenager to bed. On the way Naruto saw Kakashi and smirked victoriously. The Hunter returned the smirk with an ominous smile that punched Naruto's good mood right out of him. He glared at Kakashi before entering his room and slamming the door. He tried not to think about what the Hunter might have in store for them next.

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Sorry if this isn't as good as previous chapters. My muse for this fandom has run off and so writing is hard. But I _will_ finish this story because the end is in sight and I don't want to leave it unfinished.

Please Review!


	14. Chapter 14

This is a much shorter chapter than usual because I'm going on a trip for 3 weeks and I won't have time to finish what was going to be part 2. So instead you get a cliffhanger and a brand new reason to hate me. And yes, that was intended to be ominous.

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**Chapter 14**

It was rather depressing that Naruto was spending his Friday night doing homework, but due to the madness of the past few days he'd been neglecting his studies and he really had no interest in giving Iruka a further reason to ground him. Consequently he was spread out on his bedroom floor glaring at his maths textbook and wishing that the problems before him would solve themselves. Naruto flicked to the back of the book, hoping that this was one of the editions where they had forgotten to remove the answers. He sighed despondently when he found that this was not the case.

Earlier that day he'd been animatedly recounting his dinner with Gaara to Haku and Sasuke, telling them in great detail how Gaara had managed to charm Iruka and left Kakashi looking like a prejudicial asshole. They'd both been overjoyed to hear of his victory and had asked if that meant he would be joining them at Club Secret that night. Naruto had replied that he was grounded and they had responded with sympathy. He'd forced a smile for their benefit and told them that he would be fine, that they shouldn't let his predicament ruin their night. Sasuke had replied that he wouldn't and the two of them had briefly descended into an argument. When they had finished Haku had switched the subject to how the next day was a Saturday and they could spend the day at Naruto's apartment playing games and ignoring Kakashi.

Naruto smiled. He had good friends who always knew exactly how to distract him from the bad stuff in his life.

Naruto was just about to reluctantly return to his work when he heard raised voices coming from the living room. Deciding to investigate Naruto scrambled to his feet and quietly opened the door. From his vantage point he could clearly see Iruka and Kakashi. They were squared off and clearly in the middle of an escalating argument. Naruto was contemplating making his presence known when Iruka's words made him freeze.

"This is going too far Kakashi! I know you don't like Gaara but accusing him of murder? You can't do that without proof!"

"I have proof."

"You have speculation! I might not be a lawyer but I know that your supposed evidence is circumstantial at best."

Without thinking about what he was doing Naruto strode out into the living room. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Iruka answered quickly. "Nothing's going on. Go back to your room Naruto."

Kakashi turned to Naruto and held up an A4 sized photo. The photo was of a young man with his throat torn out. "Do you recognise him?"

"No."

Iruka ripped the photo from Kakashi's hand and hissed, "He's fifteen and you're showing him the picture of a murder victim?"

"This man is believed to be a victim of a serial killer supposedly no longer active in this city," Kakashi continued, ignoring Iruka. "I did some digging. Ever heard of the Sandman?"

Naruto frowned. The name did sound familiar but he wasn't sure from where. Then it hit him – the first night he met Gaara he'd said something about the Sandman when he chased away the men who were about to give Naruto a beating. Gaara had said that he was the Sandman and Naruto's assailants had fled. The blond teen hadn't seen anything strange about it then as he'd had more pressing matters to attend to but now...

"You think Gaara is a serial killer? The Sandman?" Naruto sneered.

"There are four murders attributed to the Sandman. All occurred a few years ago over the course of a month. There was little press coverage since the victims were all convicted felons. All young men who died of exsanguination."

"And how did you connect them to Gaara?"

"I found a paper trail that says he arrived in the city around the same time as the murders occurred. There were also similar victims in the city he previously lived in."

Iruka was right Naruto decided – Kakashi's supposed evidence was circumstantial at best. It could all be a coincidence that the murders started around the same time Gaara came to the city. But knowing what Naruto did about a vampire's blood lust and the fact that Gaara didn't like to talk about his past made Naruto's stomach churn. Gaara had told him that he had a dark past, that he used to be very different to how he was now. It was entirely possible that he had committed those murders. Still, Kakashi lacked proof and Naruto wasn't about to jump to conclusions just because the Hunter's theory was worryingly plausible. Even if Gaara was the Sandman he likely had a good reason for killing those people. Kakashi was just trying to mess with him, once again trying to turn him against Gaara. Naruto didn't know why the Hunter thought this plan would work when all his previous ones had failed. Perhaps Kakashi was desperate? Whatever the reason, Naruto wasn't going to let a few photos trick him into believing that Gaara was evil. Neither, apparently, was Iruka.

"That's enough Kakashi," Iruka interjected furiously. "I don't know what you're trying to achieve with this and, honestly, I don't care. I can't believe you dug up some old serial killer case and were going to show it to Naruto behind my back! If I hadn't taken a look at the file...Whatever your problem is with Gaara it's clearly personal and it's affecting your judgement. You need to leave; send in another member of your team if you want but I don't want you here traumatising my son."

It took Naruto a moment to remember that Kakashi was supposedly an FBI agent with a team watching the apartment. He wondered how the Hunter was going to get out of this lie.

"Iruka..." Kakashi started before trailing off, his gaze drifting towards the front of the apartment.

Suddenly Kakashi had his gun out. Both Naruto and Iruka gaped as the man dived into the hallway and took aim at the front door. "What the hell?" Naruto managed to get out before the front door was kicked down.

Kakashi opened fire and managed to take out the first assailant. A second used their felled comrade as a shield to move in closer to Kakashi. The Hunter dodged and fired one shot, catching the second man's shoulder. He clutched it and howled in pain.

"Hide!" Kakashi shouted as a third man rushed him from behind, knocking the gun from his hand. The Hunter pulled out at a knife and managed to slash the third attacker's forearm. It was then that Naruto recognised the third man as Deidara.

Suddenly there were hands on his back propelling him forward. "Naruto move! Head for the bathroom!"

One brief glimpse of Iruka's face had Naruto fleeing for the relative safety of the bathroom. He closed and locked the door once his guardian was inside and they both took shelter in the corner furthest from the entrance. The blond teenager's heart was pounding as he searched for a weapon. Shaving razors, bleach – both could be utilised as weapons but would likely be ineffective against a vampire and practically useless if there was more than one bloodsucker coming for him. Still, Naruto hurriedly gathered what he could before returning to Iruka's side. They both stood with baited breath and waited for some sign that the coast was clear.

There was the sound of glass smashing and then someone tried the handle of the bathroom door. Naruto barely had time to raise his weapons before the door was kicked off its hinges. Two vampires rushed in, catching Naruto's wrists and twisting until he dropped his weapons. Then they dragged him and Iruka kicking and screaming out of the bathroom back to the living room.

Naruto cursed and struggled but couldn't break free of the vampire's hold. The blond jerked his head back in an attempt to break the vampire's nose but the woman avoided the hit and grabbed him by the throat. She squeezed, crushing Naruto's windpipe. The blond scratched furiously at her wrist causing her to hiss in both pain and frustration. "Stop fighting you dumb motherfucker or Ukon will rip your friend's arm off and beat you with it."

Naruto stopped struggling and turned as best he could to see Iruka. The man's arms were pinned tightly behind his back and he was no longer struggling. Naruto guessed that was because one arm looked like it was poised to be dislocated at the shoulder. Iruka's face was etched with pain and, when his eyes met Naruto's, horror. "Do as they say Naruto," Iruka whispered. His eyes darted to the side and Naruto followed his gaze. One of the vampires had Kakashi on his knees with a sword to his throat whilst Deidara and a third vampire hovered within striking distance of the Hunter. Dread settled in the pit of Naruto's stomach. If Kakashi was down who was going to save them?

As soon as Naruto stopped trying to escape the vampire loosened her grip on his throat. The teenager gulped down as much oxygen as possible before regulating his breathing so that he didn't start hyperventilating. Now was not the time to lose his head and panic. He would need to have his wits about him if he was going to figure a way out of this mess.

"It's good to know one of you has some common sense."

All eyes immediately turned towards the speaker as a man with white hair stepped from the hallway into the living room. His golden eyes told Naruto that he was another vampire. That meant they were now outnumbered six to three, unless there were more vampires lurking outside the apartment.

Vampires lurking outside...Elation briefly flared in Naruto's chest at the thought that Itachi and Zabuza were patrolling outside the building and would come to their rescue as soon as they realised he was in danger. Then he remembered that tonight was Friday, that the two vampires were at Club Secret and would have no way of knowing that he was in trouble. The only one who might be coming to save him was Gaara.

Naruto's gaze drifted towards Deidara. The vampire was breathing heavily and his eyes seemed somewhat glazed. Naruto guessed the blond had not fully recovered from his last encounter with Gaara. Still, he and his friends had been able to take down Kakashi. Even if it had been a surprise attack the three of them had still managed to bring the Hunter to his knees and Naruto was pretty sure that Gaara had said that he estimated his strength to be on par with Kakashi's. This meant that even if Gaara managed to arrive on time to save them it still might not be enough. Naruto could hope though; he could hope and pray that Gaara would show up and it would be enough.

The white haired vampire approached Iruka and regarded him curiously. "Your name is Iruka?"

"Yes," Naruto's guardian replied breathlessly.

"What was your relation to Namikaze? Why did he entrust you with the care on his only son?"

"He didn't. Kushina and I were friends a long time ago, back when we were kids. After her death those whose care she'd entrusted Naruto to didn't want to accept the responsibility so I stepped forward. I know what it's like to grow up in foster care – that's where I met Kushina. I adopted Naruto because I didn't want to put my friend's child through that if I could do something to prevent it."

Naruto blinked. He hadn't heard this story before. He'd known that Iruka had been his mother's friend and that they'd spent time in care together after they'd both lost their parents, but he hadn't realised that Iruka wasn't the one his parents had entrusted with his care. There had been someone else they had trusted more, who had refused to take him in. Who could it have been?

"How noble of you." The white haired vampire sneered and turned his attention towards Naruto. "I've been waiting a long time for this," he leered, one long finger tracing the curve of Naruto's jaw.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to tell the vampire where he could go Iruka interjected. "Why are you doing this?" he asked with a note of pleading in his voice. "Naruto's just a child. Kakashi said that you want revenge for something Minato did. Isn't it enough that you killed him and his wife; why can't you leave Naruto in peace?"

"Because he took something precious from me," the white haired vampire growled. "He took something irreplaceable and his death did not sate my need for vengeance. I swore I would not rest until everything he ever held dear was destroyed. Thus, I cannot leave the boy. The son must pay for the sins of the father."

Suddenly Kakashi grabbed the arm of the man holding him down and threw him over his shoulder at the same time as wrenching the sword from his hand. The Hunter immediately moved into a crouch and swiped the sword at the legs of the nearest vampire. The vampire went down and Kakashi jumped to his feet. He pressed his back to the wall and pointed his sword at Deidara. The vampire eyed the blade warily and kept his distance.

"Still fighting?" the white haired vampire asked sardonically. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We have hostages after all."

Kakashi glanced in their direction, his glowing red eye carefully assessing the situation. "You won't kill Naruto; not until you've had your fun with him."

"I'll kill him here and now if I have to." A growl from Deidara informed Naruto that this was not an option favoured by the rest of the room. The white haired vampire (who seemed to be the leader) sent Deidara a glare that quelled the vampire before turning the smile of a reasonable man on Kakashi. "What about his guardian? I have no quarrel with him. I might even let him go if you surrender."

"No you won't."

"How do you know that?"

"Vampires don't like to leave witnesses."

"Maybe I'd be willing to make an exception."

"I doubt that."

The leader studied Kakashi for a moment. Then he shrugged. "You're right. Kill him."

The vampire holding Iruka grabbed hold of his head and twisted, snapping his neck.

"No!" Naruto screamed as Iruka's body dropped to the floor.

The teenager attempted to fight his way over to his guardian but the woman holding him merely laughed and tightened her grip. Naruto screamed obscenities at her until the vampire who had been restraining Iruka backhanded him across the face. Stars filled Naruto's vision and when he finally regained his senses it was to see that Kakashi had been disarmed and pinned to the wall. Suddenly Deidara was in front of the Hunter and thrusting a knife into his gut. Kakashi screamed as the knife was slowly twisted. The weapon was then used to rip open the Hunter's abdomen, causing blood to gush out of the wound. Kakashi was released and the man fell first to his knees before collapsing onto his front. A kick that dislocated his shoulder sent him onto his back.

The leader crouched down before Kakashi's prone form and said conversationally, "Don't worry, I'm not going to let you die. Most people are afraid of dying because they think it signals the end. But you know better. You know that there is an alternative and for you death is the lesser of two evils. That's why we're not going to kill you. We're going to do what we did to Namikaze's students. We're going to let you live with the knowledge that you were powerless to prevent someone you care about from being tortured to death. Unfortunately we don't have time to torture the boy in front of you like we did last time, but you can rest assured that when you recover he'll have died a most gruesome death."

The leader used his fangs to slit his wrist and smeared the blood that trickled from the wound over Kakashi's lips. Then he stood up and kicked Kakashi in the head to make sure he wouldn't rise anytime soon. Finally, he turned his attention to Naruto. The blond teen met the vampire's eyes and held his gaze. He was still in shock and could feel tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. He didn't care. Apart from utter denial that the whole situation was happening there was only one thought currently in Naruto's mind.

"You're going to pay for this you bloodsucking asshole."

The leader smirked. He addressed his reply to the vampire holding Naruto. "Tayuya would you be kind enough to take over his mind and walk him to the van?"

Panic flared in Naruto's mind as he was spun round to face his captor. The woman's eyes glowed gold and Naruto felt like he had been backhanded again. There was none of the subtlety Gaara used when he entered Naruto's mind. It was like a battering ram smashing down his defences and arresting control of his senses. Then Naruto lost control of his mind and was nothing more than a puppet with invisible strings.

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If this seems to be moving quite fast after previous chapters it's because I don't want to drag things out. We're reaching the climax now and shit is going down.

Now to sit and wait for the hate mail.

Please Review!


	15. Chapter 15

A Gaara chapter this time. I'm predicting two more chapters and an epilogue. And if people want me to I can also post a chapter with all my ideas for the sequel that is never going to happen, because once upon a time I started plotting this great epic that would have been about ten times as long as this fic. That fic is never going to be written, but if you want to know more about this universe then I'd be willing to share that info with everyone.

Also, I think possible gore warning for this chapter is necessary. And character deaths. You have been warned.

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**Chapter 15**

Gaara knew something was wrong the instant he arrived outside of Naruto's apartment. There was the scent of familiar blood in the air – Deidara's blood – as well as multiple blood trails leading to and from the apartment building. Looking up, Gaara could see that a number of the building's windows had been smashed from the outside in, a hard feat to accomplish for those without access to helicopters or the power of levitation.

Dread settled in Gaara's stomach, causing his fangs to elongate and his eyes to transform into twin pools of golden fury. He raced towards the building and up the stairs to Naruto's apartment, all the while trying not to imagine the worst case scenario.

The blood trail ended at the one place he didn't want it to. Gaara crossed the threshold of Naruto's home cautiously, well aware that this might be a trap. He immediately spotted the body resting in the hallway and moved in to investigate. Gaara kicked the unfamiliar corpse onto its back and hissed as he recognised the face. The vampire had been part of the group who had claimed credit for Namikaze's murder. Gaara vaguely recalled meeting him when he was still with Deidara. The vampire had been quiet, had let the woman he was with do all the talking and bragging about what they had done. Gaara hadn't bothered learning the names of either of them once he'd realised that Deidara was the only one with true power in the group; the others were simply numbers with which to overwhelm the Hunter and whomever they might find with him. Still, Gaara had made a point to remember the faces of those Deidara might one day call on as allies against him, and this vampire was definitely one of the faces he had catalogued.

Deciding to hold that thought for the moment, Gaara ventured further into the apartment in search of any other clues as to what had occurred there. He instantly spotted Iruka and rushed to check for a pulse. Finding none he cursed (repressed the image of Naruto's horror-struck face as he watched his assailants murder his guardian) and moved away. That was when he noticed the Hunter's motionless body. Gaara's eyes scanned the man for weapons but found him unarmed. The vampire approached the felled Hunter warily and again searched for a pulse. He was disappointed to find that the man still had one. Although, considering the amount of blood pooling around his body and drenching his clothes, Gaara wasn't entirely sure how long the Hunter would last without receiving medical attention. The redhead briefly considered helping him before pushing that errant pity aside. He had more important things to do than attempt to save the life of the enemy.

Standing, Gaara began to scour the apartment for any signs that Naruto might be hiding there. When his search turned up empty he returned to the living room and located the phone. He dialled the number Itachi had informed him he would always be able to reach him at and waited impatiently for the younger vampire to pick up. "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Gaara. I need you to find out if Naruto is with your brother."

"Is he not at his apartment?"

"The apartment is in ruins. Iruka is dead, the Hunter nearly so, and Naruto is missing. There's a dead vampire whom I recognise as being part of the group who killed Namikaze. I can also smell Deidara's blood and that of at least three others. You were right about somebody helping Deidara."

Itachi swore violently. "You need to leave before the police arrive."

Gaara decided to ignore that piece of advice. "Deidara was injured and left a blood trail. I'm going to follow it before it grows cold and put an end to him once and for all. I need you to locate Naruto for me; I need to know that he's safe."

Itachi was silent for a moment before he hesitantly replied, "I'll make the calls, Gaara, but you are aware that Naruto won't be with his friends. The Hunter would never have allowed him to leave on his own. If he's not in the apartment it means that he's been taken."

A mix of rage and fear rushed through Gaara and he crushed the handset in his hand. Cursing, he tossed the broken thing aside. He then took a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure and his wits. He'd been able to maintain his calm so far because he'd been able to sustain the hope that Naruto hadn't been home when Deidara attacked. Now that all illusions had been ripped away from him it was taking all of his self-control not to lose it and chase after Deidara in a berserker rage. He needed to stay calm – letting his temper take control would hinder rather than help him in locating Naruto.

Suddenly, an obnoxious tune began to play. Gaara spun towards the source of the sound, his body tensing for an attack. When he failed to sense the presence of another being in the apartment he moved towards the gaudy tune. In Naruto's room he discovered that the tune was emanating from the blond teen's phone. Gaara picked up the device and sighed as he read the caller ID. As soon as the vampire answered the phone Itachi remarked, "Naruto would never have left home without his mobile."

"Fine," Gaara hissed. "You've made your point. Now tell me how _you_ think we should proceed."

"You need to follow Deidara's trail. Take Naruto's mobile phone with you so that I'll be able to contact you. I'll call Zabuza and we'll catch up with you." Itachi paused before adding, "If you find whoever took Naruto don't try to fight them without us. From the sound of it they're smart and well-organised. The sun went down less than half an hour ago – they must have been waiting close by and moved as soon as it was safe to do so. You might be stronger than them but they'll likely be expecting you to follow and have set a trap. If you rush in the probability Naruto will be hurt in the crossfire increases dramatically."

Gaara took another calming breath. He hated being told what to do, hated the idea of relying on others. However, he was too close to the situation. He needed Itachi to make the plan, to remind him that he needed to play this smart if he was going to save Naruto. He needed the others for this. Deidara and friends were able to take out the Hunter – he wouldn't be able to win the battle if he fought them alone. He needed to forget his pride and put his trust in somebody if he was going to save Naruto.

"Very well. It's a good plan. I'll follow it. Just hurry."

"We will."

The blaring of sirens alerted Gaara to the fact that he needed to move. He hurriedly hung up and thrust the phone into his pocket. Deciding that it was better not to risk a confrontation with the authorities, Gaara headed for the roof. The door opened easily and he walked out into the fresh night air. The vampire moved to the edge of the roof and jumped to the building opposite. He then levitated down to the deserted street below and slipped effortlessly into the shadows. From there he located the scent of Deidara's blood and followed the trail away from the crime scene.

Eight blocks later Gaara hit an intersection and stopped. So far the scent of Deidara's blood had been mixed with that of the other vampires with him. Now the scents had split, each travelling a different route. Gaara growled a curse. Itachi was right about the group (or the person running this operation) being smart. Gaara couldn't follow all of the blood trails and he had no way to tell which was the fastest route to Naruto. The blond teen's scent was covered by the blood and they must have made a point not to hurt him so Gaara couldn't track him directly.

Gaara closed his eyes and fought down the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He needed to be smart about this and not let his emotions control him if he wanted to find Naruto before it was too late. What did he remember about the group? Most of them had known each other prior to the attack on Namikaze. All seven vampires had possessed their own reasons for wanting the Hunter dead and their previous association with each other meant that they had not cared who killed Namikaze as long as they were allowed to witness his painful end. Deidara had been the exception. He'd been recruited to the group because of his strength and his lust for vengeance. He hadn't been a team player and had wanted to kill Namikaze himself. Deidara had admitted to him that the only reason he joined them was because they had somehow unearthed information on Namikaze's whereabouts that he had so far failed to discover. He hadn't been about to risk vengeance slipping through his fingers so he had agreed to join them on the condition he was the one who delivered the killing blow. Gaara guessed he had gotten his wish, although that hadn't been enough for Deidara. He'd hated the Hunter so much that he'd wanted to kill everyone he'd ever known. Seeing as that hadn't been an overly feasible option Deidara had been forced to try and forget that particular lust for blood. Then he'd discovered Naruto and that bloodlust had been brutally awakened. He'd wanted to complete this kill on his own – had wanted to be the sole vampire to savour the thrill of ending Naruto's life. When that had no longer been a feasible option he'd called his old comrades in arms to help him.

No, Gaara corrected himself, somebody had helped Deidara before his attempt on Naruto had failed. Maybe he'd called them for information, had wanted to confirm Naruto was related to Namikaze before going after him? Or perhaps the others had simply been keeping tabs on Deidara and through him discovered Naruto's existence? Either way, Deidara would not have wanted their help and likely only accepted it under duress. Deidara wasn't part of the group and Gaara doubted he trusted them. If they'd struck the same bargain as before to gain his cooperation he wouldn't have let Naruto leave his sight in case they broke their word and stole his kill. Which meant the quickest way to find Naruto was to find Deidara.

Decision made, Gaara hastily located the vampire's blood trail. He was just about to follow it when Itachi appeared behind him. "Zabuza will be along shortly; he said he had something important to collect first," Itachi said in lieu of a greeting.

Gaara nodded and pointed in the direction Deidara had headed. "That way."

"Are you sure?" Itachi asked sceptically. "We could split up and take each route to cover all the options."

"Deidara wouldn't have let Naruto leave his sight."

Itachi nodded, trusting Gaara's deduction. "Lead the way."

They moved quickly through the streets and after what felt like forever but was in fact less than an hour they found Deidara and another vampire in a deserted park. The two vampires were bathing in a miniature lake that had become stagnant many years ago, and were too preoccupied by their task to notice that their location had become compromised.

"I thought the boss was kidding when he told us to take a dip in a pond. If I'd known he was being serious I'd have told him to get stuffed. Ducks shit in this stinking water; no wonder it'll cover the scent of our blood."

Deidara didn't reply as he wadded out of the water. The other vampire followed him, still grumbling viciously. As they tried to shake their clothes dry, Gaara and Itachi made their move. The redhead jumped out of the shadows and crashed into Deidara, sending him to the floor. Instead of giving the blond time to recover Gaara immediately began to pound his fists into the vampire's face. It took Deidara a moment longer than it should have to recover from the unexpected attack, and when he did he didn't react as Gaara had anticipated. Instead of raising his arms to defend himself he reached past Gaara's guard to land his own blows. The redhead quickly adapted, using his arms to block Deidara's punches whilst still pinning the vampire to the ground. After a moment in which Gaara remained strong against Deidara's attack, the redhead realised that the other vampire's punches lacked their usual finesse and strength. Deciding to test a hunch, Gaara launched a mental assault on Deidara's mind and easily crashed through his defences. Deidara screamed as Gaara plucked at a recent memory – Deidara being injected with a clear viscous liquid. The other vampire had been drugged to make him more compliant – that would explain why Deidara seemed unable to feel pain or use his full strength. It also meant that Gaara would be able to explore his mind without him putting up too much resistance.

The blond vampire continued to scream as Gaara savagely searched his memory for where they had taken Naruto. Finding only confused glimpses of some sort of warehouse, Gaara withdrew from Deidara's mind. The vampire immediately fell lax and ceased his screaming. Gaara hadn't been the least bit gentle with his mind and he doubted that Deidara would be moving again anytime soon. Still, in the interest of being better safe than sorry, Gaara securely pinned him to the ground before turning his attention to Itachi. The younger vampire had also managed to subdue his quarry and had him in a painful looking hold. Gaara met Itachi's eyes and said, "Deidara doesn't know anything. We'll have to use yours for information."

Itachi nodded and dug his fingers deeper into a shoulder wound that had yet to properly close. The vampire in his grasp cursed and cried out, "I'm not telling you anything!"

"Would you like to interrogate him or should I?" Itachi asked conversationally.

"You do it," Gaara growled. "Don't be gentle."

"He hurt my friend – I have no intention of being gentle."

With that Itachi twisted his arm and dislocated the other vampire's shoulder. The vampire screamed for a long moment before descending into soft whimpering.

"Where is Naruto?" Itachi asked patiently.

"Fuck you, you Hunter-loving scum."

Itachi relocated the arm, drawing out another cry of pain. "I can do this all night you know."

"And by that time the brat will be dead." The vampire's laugh turned into a sob as his arm was broken. "I'm not telling you anything," he repeated as moisture gathered in the corners of his eyes.

Itachi's savage scarlet gaze met Gaara's. The redhead shook his head. Even with the vampire in pain he was having trouble slipping past his mental defences. If he was going to access their prey's memories he was going to have to force his way in. The only problem with that was that it would require his full focus and he was uncomfortable leaving himself vulnerable when they were so exposed out in the open. However, time was of the essence; they could easily kill Naruto before Gaara found him and then all his efforts that night would have been for nought. Getting the information he needed too late to save Naruto was just as bad as not getting the information at all. Gaara knew he was going to have to take risks if he was going to beat time itself, and this appeared to be one of those necessary risks.

Indicating his intentions to Itachi, the other vampire nodded and prepared to once again inflict as much distracting pain as possible. However, before either of them could make a move their attention was caught by an approaching presence. Seconds later Zabuza appeared carrying a gym bag. Gaara regarded the bag with interest as Zabuza smugly raised it to shoulder height and it made a sound that indicated it held more than sweaty clothes. "Sorry I'm late; I had to make a quick stop and pick up this bag of goodies." He then dropped the bag and approached Itachi. "Want me to hold that for you?"

Itachi passed the now quietly panicking vampire to Zabuza and forced the man to hold his gaze. Mental manipulation was Itachi's speciality and before long the vampire was screaming in Zabuza's grasp as Itachi forced his way into the captive's mind. A few minute later the man collapsed as Itachi withdrew from his mind and said, "I have the location."

Gaara nodded before casting an eye over their two unconscious captives. "What do we do with them?"

Zabuza and Itachi shared a look. "I know it's bad form to kick a man when he's down, but we can't exactly risk them coming after us or biding their time and going after Naruto again when our backs are turned. Perhaps the best solution is to kill them."

"It is bad form," Itachi returned, his expression tight. "Are you sure they would make another attempt on Naruto's life?"

"Yes," Gaara replied immediately. "Only implanting an order to cease hunting him would cause them to stop, and we don't have time for that. You know what I believe we must do. The pertinent question here is whether you need me to do the deed for you."

For a moment Itachi silently regarded Gaara and his unconscious prisoner. Then he sighed and moved to the discarded gym bag. He opened it and took out a katana before returning to the side of his prey. Zabuza lifted the motionless form by the hair, presenting Itachi with a clear shot at the neck. "Don't miss," Zabuza warned, only half joking.

Itachi didn't reply as he mapped the trajectory of the blade. Then with one swift, super-powered stroke he beheaded the unconscious vampire. The headless corpse immediately collapsed to the floor. The head followed it promptly.

Turning away from his grisly work, Itachi offered Gaara the katana. Gaara accepted the blade with a nod of thanks. He'd started this mess by leading Deidara to Naruto – he was going to be the one to finish it by putting an end to Deidara once and for all.

Gaara moved to his feet to give Itachi access to Deidara. The younger vampire did as Zabuza had done with their other prisoner, ensuring the beheading would be clean. Gaara tested the weight of the blade before raising it and readying his strike.

It was at that point that Deidara stirred. He blinked groggily, his eyes unfocused as he stared at Gaara. "Sasori?" he whispered, his mental functions clearly still impaired by the drugs he'd been given.

"No," Gaara answered shortly.

Deidara continued to blink bleary eyes at him. "Gaara?" As lucidity slowly returned to him, Deidara's gaze became slightly more focused and he murmured, "I only wanted you back. I only wanted the pain to stop."

"I know," Gaara replied softly, meeting Deidara's gaze.

Then he swung the katana.

Handing the blade to Itachi to clean and return to the gym bag, Gaara watched Deidara's corpse with an odd sense of detachment. Once upon a time he'd cared for the vampire. He'd been content with his company and would probably have remained with him if he'd never learnt about Sasori. But that hadn't happened, and Gaara was a different person now to who he was back then. All those years ago he would never have risked his life to save a human – now all he could think about as he stared at Deidara was that he hoped he would not find Naruto in a similar condition.

Taking one last look at his former lover, Gaara turned to Itachi and said, "Lead the way."

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	16. Chapter 16

Action chapter! Also the shortest so far, but only because it was a good stopping place and I thought I should give those loyal fans who have stuck around this long something to gnaw on. The next chapter is in progress and about 40% done. That should be the last chapter, apart from the epilogue and a possible bonus chapter where I'll answer any remaining questions you might have.

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**Chapter 16**

Pain, short and sharp, is what finally roused Naruto from unconsciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, only to wince and close them against the harsh glare of an overhead light. His head ached and his cheek stung, and he really wanted to just go back to sleep. However, sleep didn't seem to be on the agenda of whoever had woken him. Another slap to the face and a hissed, "Wake up asshole," robbed Naruto of the option of slumber.

Forcing himself to carefully open his eyes, Naruto took in the situation at hand. Judging by the sensation of cool metal and rough leather against his skin, he was naked and strapped down on some sort of surgical table. Lifting his upper body as much as possible, Naruto looked down to confirm his suspicions. He then let his shoulders return to the table and turned his attention to the woman sneering down at him. It wasn't until their gazes met that he became aware of the fact that he should be panicking. Once that thought had crossed his mind Naruto started to notice the terror bubbling up inside him, along with a scream that was waiting for the right moment to be released.

"Are you wondering why you're alive?"

Naruto forced down the urge to scream and focused on the voice of the person standing just outside his field of vision.

"The answer to that question is that a quick death is too good for you. Your father killed people who we cared about, and for that we are going to make you suffer agony beyond mortal comprehension. And then, before the sun rises, we're going to kill you."

Feeling that this was his cue to offer a witty retort, Naruto replied, "You're insane."

When wit fails cliché works just as well.

The vampire released a low, dark chuckle and stepped forward. Silver hair, glasses, pale skin, and the yellow eyes of a snake. Naruto flinched as the man trailed a finger across his cheek – a touch of gentleness to make the torture to follow seem that much more painful. "Perhaps," the vampire mused. "Even if I am, my mental faculties are no less diminished for it. I've constructed a plan that is foolproof, and that means that nobody is coming to save you. Oh, I'm sure Gaara will discover this place at some point in the future, but by then you'll be dead and there will be nothing for him to do but mourn."

"He could still rip your head off."

The vampire smirks. "Only if he catches me."

"He will. Gaara's awesome like that. You shouldn't underestimate him."

"I have no intention of doing so. Now, as much as I am enjoying this little tete-a-tete, my colleagues appear to be getting restless. I'm afraid we're going to have to conclude the pleasantries and move onto the torture."

Picking up a scalpel from a nearby surgical tray, the vampire held the instrument up to the bright overhead light. The light reflected off the sharp edge of the blade into Naruto's eyes. The boy screwed his eyes shut against the light as dread settled in his stomach and the scream that had been slowly building inside him made its way to his throat.

Still smirking, the vampire said, "This may hurt a bit," before lowering the scalpel to the human's skin.

Naruto screamed.

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True to cliché villain form, the vampires had hidden themselves inside an abandoned warehouse on a moderately busy industrial park. When Gaara and the others arrived the place was as silent as the grave and (apart from a few rats and night creatures) seemingly deserted. Yet the vampire whose mind Itachi had read had divulged this as the place he was to rendezvous with his comrades, and as far as they were aware the information was accurate. Unless this location had been planted in the vampire's mind as a red herring to send them running in the wrong direction, then this was where they would find Naruto.

A familiar scream rent the night air, and Itachi and Zabuza immediately grabbed Gaara to stop him mindlessly rushing in. "Remember the plan," Zabuza hissed against Gaara's ear. "A surprise attack will be more effective than a full-frontal assault. If you can't remember that then you can stay out here and wait for us to call you in."

Gaara growled, the sound of Naruto's suffering striking him like a physical blow. He wanted to murder whomever was causing his human such pain, the darkness within him wanted to tear the asshole limb from limb and then set fire to the remains. Nevertheless, Gaara was able to force down that desire and focus on the matter at hand. He'd be damned if he was going to be left behind; he could control his rage enough to channel it into a more stealthy attack. He was going to save Naruto, and he was willing to make any sacrifice to achieve his goal.

Seeing him regain control, Itachi and Zabuza released their hold on him. They carefully measured each other with their gazes, studiously making sure that they were all able to block out the continuing sound of Naruto's agonised cries. "Ready?" Itachi queried.

As one they nodded and moved swiftly and silently into the warehouse.

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There was one official entrance to the warehouse: a large set of rusted doors where trucks had once loaded and unloaded goods. There was also a fire door on the ground floor and another on the walkway above. Each exit was guarded by a vampire, and in the centre of the warehouse stood Kabuto's operating theatre.

After scouting the perimeter and divining this much about the interior of the building, the three vampires had decided to launch their assault from the rear. Although there was a padlock on the door, Zabuza easily picked the lock whilst Itachi ensured that the door would open as soundlessly as possible. As they worked they listened to the vampire on the other side of the door urging her leader on; it was painfully obvious that she was relishing the sounds of Naruto's torture. Gaara clenched his fists and forced down his fury until the others had completed their tasks. Itachi opened the door, its groan mostly masked by Naruto's screams. The vampire supposedly guarding the door still heard it, however, and spun to face them. Before she could raise the alarm Gaara rushed forward and clamped a hand over her mouth. Eyes wide, she launched a mental barrage as her nails reached for his eyes. Gaara effortlessly deflected the double assault and bared his fangs. Then he snapped her neck and dragged her into a corner where her corpse would hopefully go unnoticed.

Whilst all this had been happening, Zabuza and Itachi had crept ahead to scout the area. Gaara followed in their footsteps, his eyes constantly searching the gloom for any signs of the female vampire's comrades. Zabuza was the first to spot one of them; he halted and pointed up to the metal walkway. The vampire there was leaning heavily on the handrail, his eyes alight with fascination as he stared down at the main event in the centre of the warehouse. Deciding that the sentry's attention was elsewhere, the three vampires edged their way past the last remains of boxes and old equipment until they were able to properly view the night's entertainment.

Gaara saw red. He saw red, as in he was filled with rage, and he saw _red_. Blood dribbled lazily from the surgical table to pool on the dusty floor or stain the clothes of the vampire merrily flaying Naruto's flesh. The human teenager whimpered as the vampire paused his ministrations and reached for a glass of what looked like water. The sound torn from Naruto's throat when the liquid was poured over his wounds made Gaara think that it was in fact salt-water.

A hand landed on Gaara's arm and the redhead bared his fangs in a silent snarl. Itachi didn't bother to look away from the spectacle in front of them; it was then that Gaara realised the young vampire's hand was shaking. The redhead turned to meet Zabuza's eyes and saw that he had also seen more than enough. These bastards wouldn't be receiving any mercy from either of Gaara's friends tonight.

Using silent hand gestures Zabuza laid out the play. Gaara and Itachi nodded in agreement before returning their attention to the scene before them. They needed to move before the absence of their colleagues was noticed.

Once everyone was in position, Gaara rushed forward towards Kabuto. As expected, the vampire on the walkway sounded the alarm and jumped from his position to aid his leader. Itachi intercepted him in midair, tackling him to the ground. The commotion alerted the vampire at the front gates to the problem and he rushed in to help, only to be stopped by Zabuza. Both of them had swords and Gaara was able to tune out their battle as he focused on his own prey. The vampire didn't put up much of a fight – he swiped his scalpel at Gaara's throat but the redhead easily caught his wrist and crushed the bones there. He slammed the vampire to the floor and followed him down, the scent of Naruto's blood temporarily overwhelming his senses as he stared into the eyes of his human's tormentor. Kabuto stared back, his grin oily and unruffled. "Gaara, I presume? So nice to finally meet you."

"I should chain you to an east-facing rock so that you can greet the sun and your death," Gaara snarled.

"You would be living up to your reputation if you did. I heard you use to be more of a monster than I am. What happened? Has life among humans made you soft?"

"Shut up," Gaara growled, his hand circling the vampire's throat.

Kabuto half laughed, half choked. "Revenge is sweetest when you get to rub salt into the wound."

Gaara's grip tightened reflexively. He forced himself to let the vampire breathe as he demanded, "What have you done?"

Grinning, Kabuto answered, "I gave the little human a healthy dose of poison. Insurance, in case I was interrupted. I didn't want to die without ensuring that his fate would be sealed too."

Fury flared within Gaara. As much as he would have loved to spend time avenging Iruka and the suffering Naruto had been forced to endure, time was now of the essence - again. He pulled a dagger from the inside of his coat and aimed the blade at Kabuto's eye. The silver haired vampire stared impassively at the weapon as Gaara raised it and thrust it through the eye into the brain. Then Kabuto screamed.

Pinning the vampire's wrists, Gaara decided to check how the others were faring. Itachi was approaching him with no more than a busted lip and blood-soaked clothes; Zabuza was still engaged in combat, but appeared to be in no danger. His opponent had realised that he was the only one still fighting and appeared to have lost the fire needed to win the match.

Reaching Naruto, Itachi checked the human's vital signs with a look of distaste. "His pulse is very slow and he's lost a lot of blood." Itachi's eyes flickered to the puddle at his feet and added, "Obviously."

"He's been poisoned. I need you to get him to a hospital."

Itachi looked at him sharply. "You should take him; I'll help Zabuza clean up here."

"I trust you to make sure he's safe," Gaara said, and was surprised by just how true those words were. "I want to stay and finish what I started."

"Gaara." Itachi stepped forward, his tone one of warning. "For what they've done I can condone you killing them, but torture is another matter entirely. I'm not going to turn a blind eye to this." Before Gaara could snarl a retort Itachi continued, "Naruto will not thank you for letting your darker nature dictate your actions. I'm sure he would consider death a suitable punishment for all of them."

Hating that Itachi was right (again) Gaara turned his attention to Kabuto. The vampire squirmed futilely in his grasp as life-giving blood and other fluids drained from his wound. Gaara wanted nothing more than to prolong his suffering, but he knew that would achieve nothing. He was not that monster anymore and he would not allow himself to slip backwards – for Naruto's sake if nothing else.

Wrenching the dagger from Kabuto's eye, Gaara unceremoniously stabbed the vampire in the heart before standing. He approached Itachi, who nodded approvingly before returning to undoing Naruto's restraints. Gaara shuddered as he joined him – a mix of revulsion and bloodlust. The scent of Naruto's blood was almost overpowering as Gaara picked up the teenager and held him to his chest. Gaara would have loved to feast on that blood, but the rational part of his mind was able to subdue the impulse. Instead of indulging he set off at a run for the hospital, half glad and half terrified that whatever Kabuto had given Naruto had caused the boy to lose consciousness. He just hoped that time was still on his side.

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	17. Chapter 17

Just one more chapter to go everyone! Hopefully the epilogue won't take too long and be out before the end of the year.

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**Chapter 17**

When Naruto awoke it was to the steady beep of a heart monitor. The teenager groaned as he forced his heavy eyes to open; his head felt fuzzy and his memory of the night before was a blur of colour, sound, and emotions he was too numb to feel. The only sensations he was able to register at that moment were those of light-headedness and exhaustion. Slumber beckoned and he felt inclined to follow.

"Naruto?"

Said teenager's head flopped to the side as he trained his gaze on the speaker. "Haku?"

A smile broke across the dark haired boy's face as he cried, "You're awake! Oh, thank God; we were so worried about you! The doctors said you were going to be fine, but you looked so close to death's door that we thought..."

Sitting beside Haku, Sasuke looked as if he'd been crying. "You're an idiot," he spat, which earned him a punch in the arm from his friend.

Naruto was too exhausted and under the influence of morphine to take any real delight in Sasuke's pain. "What happened?"

Uncertainty flashed across Haku's face as he glanced at Sasuke. "We're not really sure. My father was on-call at the hospital when you were brought in. He sent me a message when he got out of surgery, said a stranger had found you and then disappeared once he'd handed you over to the nurses. He didn't leave a name, just said that he thought you'd been tortured and that the doctors should check for poison. Zabuza texted me this morning to say he'd explain everything tonight, so I'm guessing it was one of them who saved you."

Haku and Sasuke shared another uncertain glance, clearly debating how much more they should reveal. "Guys, please, I want to know everything," Naruto pleaded weakly.

Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Sasuke growled, "The police want to talk to you. They found Iruka's body at your apartment last night, and until you were brought in half-dead you were their top suspect. After finding the Hunter's fake FBI credentials they're now thinking it was a gang-related attack, and are trying to get in touch with the Bureau to find out what case their agent was working on. The Hunter's going to be surprised when he wakes up and finds out he's been arrested for impersonating an agent."

A part of Naruto's brain reminded him that Sasuke possessed numerous family members of varying rank in the police force. The majority of the teenager's attention, however, was focused on one particular detail of Sasuke's tale. "Iruka's really dead then?"

"You didn't know?" Sasuke snapped, a look of guilt briefly flashing across his face.

"It happened so fast; I was hoping he was just hurt not, you know..." Naruto trailed off as his chest contracted painfully. He shook his head and forced himself to ask, "Is Kakashi alright?"

"He came out of surgery before you did," answered Haku. "He's stable, but the doctors are keeping him under close observation. My father mentioned that there was something strange about his condition, but didn't elaborate."

"I'm glad he's alright," Naruto muttered. "He tried to save us, you know, but there were too many vampires. He was outnumbered and I was useless."

"This isn't your fault Naruto," Haku interjected. "They took you by surprise, they invaded your home – they made it so that you wouldn't be able to fight back. This isn't your fault."

"They came after me. Iruka died because I was there and they wanted to hurt me. If it wasn't for me-"

Sasuke stood abruptly and said, "I'm not interested in attending your pity party. This wasn't your fault so don't say that it was. Those bastards were insane; they were sick and twisted and they had no reason to come after you. They're the only ones you need to blame for this. I'm not saying this to make you feel better, I'm saying it because it's the truth. So are you going to keep whining or are you going to grow a pair?"

"You have a terrible bedside manner," Haku murmured. He too rose to his feet and said, "We're going to let you get some sleep. We'll be back soon." Haku tugged on Sasuke's arm, dragging the scowling boy away from Naruto's bedside. The dark haired teenager looked back over his shoulder and added softly, "Sasuke's right: we're not lying to make you feel better. This really isn't your fault." The teenager forced a smile before leading Sasuke out of Naruto's sight.

Alone at last, Naruto closed his eyes. His friends said this wasn't his fault and part of him believed them, but another part couldn't stop feeling guilty. Iruka was dead because he'd been there when they came for Naruto. If Naruto hadn't been there... If he hadn't been there they'd have tortured Iruka for his location, just like they'd tortured Naruto for the sheer _fun_ of it. They'd held a grudge against his dad and taken it out on Naruto and the people he cared about.

It was then that Naruto realised that Iruka wasn't the only innocent victim in this. Kakashi had said that Naruto's mother had not hunted vampires, had even been sympathetic towards them, and yet they had killed her just as they'd killed Iruka. They had killed her to hurt his dad, and yet the deaths of Naruto's parents had not been enough for those monsters. They'd needed to come after the son too, and to hurt the people he surrounded himself with. They'd wanted to cause as much pain as possible, to shed as much blood as possible, and hadn't given a damn that they were killing people who knew nothing of vampires. Such reckless malice made Naruto understand why Kakashi hated vampires. If these had been the vampires he'd been first introduced to, Naruto was sure he would have also viewed all vampires as monsters. Luckily, he'd found a few good vampires to teach him not to be so narrow-minded; Kakashi hadn't been nearly so lucky.

Thinking about Gaara made Naruto wish that the vampire was there with him. He understood why he wasn't – it was daytime and Gaara had gone to ground to avoid the sun. As soon as night fell Naruto had no doubts that the vampire would come to the hospital to check on him and reassure him that he was alright.

The thought made Naruto smile and allowed him to relax. His mind began to drift, and his thoughts turned away from the image of Gaara watching over him as he slept towards that of Iruka's body going limp as his neck was snapped. Naruto shuddered and desperately pushed away the memories of the previous night that were marching insistently towards his consciousness. Instead he cuddled close to older memories, happier memories, of time spent with his guardian. The reminiscing helped to lull him back to sleep, to shed a few silent tears for Iruka. In repose he found the time to begin his mourning of a man he had loved like a father and who he would sorely miss.

* * *

Naruto was roughly dragged from his dreams by an insistent hand on his shoulder. He yelped and tried to scramble away from the man bathed in the shadows of the hospital's night lights, but the stranger's grip held him still. Flashing back to the previous night, Naruto opened his mouth to scream. The man's free hand shot forward to block the cry for help, sending Naruto deeper into the depths of panic. Only the sound of an annoyingly familiar voice was able to drag the blond back to the firm ground of calm rationality.

"Naruto, it's me."

The teenager ceased struggling and looked hard at the blood-red eyes of the man pinning him to the bed. "Kakashi?" he murmured against the hand still covering his mouth.

The hand was removed, and a small light beside the teenager's bed was switched on. The added illumination revealed that it was indeed the Hunter hovering above him. Seeing that the blond teen was no longer panicking, Kakashi carefully released his hold on Naruto's shoulder and took a seat on the edge of his bed. The Hunter then gave Naruto a wan smile that revealed a single pearly white fang. Naruto's eyes widened dramatically.

"Holy shit, you're a vampire."

A hint of amusement entered the Hunter's smile at that. "A parting gift from the vampires who took you."

For a long moment Naruto just stared at him.

"You're bleeding."

Kakashi glanced down at his gradually darkening bandages. "I am."

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I should," Kakashi replied with his usual ironic smile. "However, the FBI has informed the local police force that they have no active agents in the area, and are at present sending a team to investigate me. I need to leave before they arrive in the morning. I might be able to temporarily incapacitate the night guard who never thought I'd be able to break out of my handcuffs, but there's no way I'll be able to deal with a whole team of professionals, especially if they decide to shine a little sunlight on my situation. It's best I leave now before I inadvertently inform a government agency of the existence of vampires."

"If you need to leave why are you here talking to me?"

"I wanted to say goodbye. And to apologise. I might not know what happened last night after I lost consciousness, but I can guess. Gaara saved your life; I was wrong about him."

Naruto raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Is this a hallucination? You're actually apologising? You're not going to say that this is all some elaborate scheme and he only saved me so that he can have his wicked way with me later?"

Kakashi's ironic smile was back. "I suppose it might be a scheme. However, I'm not sure if I'm the right person to speculate on such things. Despite all my efforts to keep Gaara away, he was the one who saved you. I still might not like him, but I can't help but respect him. I know that he'll keep you safe while I disappear for a bit; and when I come back hopefully my parting gift will put me in better standing with the both of you."

"Gift?"

"Last night, when Iruka said that your parents entrusted you into the care of someone else, and that that person refused to accept the responsibility of raising you...I was that person." Kakashi sighed regretfully and ran his fingers through the wilderness of his hair. "I know it's not really an excuse, but I had recently lost my old mentor and my closest friends to vampires. I was filled with loathing and the desire for vengeance. I knew that I could never avenge those I had cared about if I was saddled with a child. I justified not stepping up to care for you by saying that someone else was sure to take you in. I had met Iruka at your parent's funeral and I thought he would make a better parent than I ever would. I convinced myself that Minato would have preferred me to become a protector of innocents rather than a replacement father to his son. I gave you up so that I could seek out the man who had trained Minato, and learn from him how to destroy the murderers of the people I'd loved... I suppose that's another thing I should apologise to you for." Kakashi offered him a rueful smile before continuing. "Which brings me back to my gift. The courts still have me on file as being the one your parents entrusted with your care. After Iruka's death they're likely to call and ask if I've changed my mind about adopting you. You're still underage, after all, and need a guardian. If you like, I could tell the courts that I'm willing to be your guardian, but that I have a few affairs to order before I can take you off their hands. In the meantime, I have a close friend in the area whose custody you should be temporarily released into until I arrive. As he's a lawyer they should be willing to trust him and, if not, I'm sure he will be able to argue his case successfully."

It took Naruto a moment to make the connection. "You're talking about Gaara aren't you?"

Kakashi nodded. "If he thinks his history will hold up to scrutiny then I'm willing to offer up the suggestion. I feel you'll be safer with him than in some unknown foster home."

Slowly, a wide grin broke across Naruto's face. "Thanks Kakashi. That's an amazing gift."

"I know," Kakashi replied with a lop-sided grin.

Naruto's grin turned into a frown as he further considered the proposal. "Why are you doing it though? Why do you suddenly feel that me being with Gaara is safer than being somewhere else?"

"I suppose becoming a vampire has offered me a change in perspective," was Kakashi's thoughtful reply. "Admittedly, placing you in Gaara's care is not a decision that gives me any pleasure, but considering the circumstances I feel it to be the safest option. Your vampire has proven himself capable of protecting you, at least to a greater degree than I could, and at this point in time I feel more comfortable relying on the devil I know. I don't have time to investigate whether vampires have infiltrated the foster care system in this city; I'd rather let a vampire I know wants to keep you alive watch over you than risk giving access to one that would much rather see you dead."

"I could always stay with my friends. Haku's parents like me and would be willing to let me stay until something was arranged. Why go to all this trouble to give Gaara temporary custody?"

"Again, devil I know. And I don't know how long I'll need to disappear for; are you sure your friend's parents will want you to stay there for a year or longer?"

"Probably not," Naruto admitted.

Kakashi nodded as if that proved his point. He then checked his watch and said, "I need to go. I'll leave you to offer my proposal to Gaara. I'll send you the number of my new phone, when I buy it, in case you need to contact me."

Naruto nodded. "Any idea where you're going to go?"

Kakashi paused. "The vampire who sired me indicated that it was something he'd done before. After your parents' funeral two of my friends went looking to avenge our teacher's death. About a week later the police found Rin's body. She'd been tortured, murdered, and left for the crows to eat. However, they were never able to locate Obito. I'm starting to suspect that means he was sired too after being forced to watch as they hurt Rin. I think I'm going to use this time to try and locate him. If he is alive then we have a lot of catching up to do."

Naruto smiled, glad that Kakashi had a goal to aim for that didn't involve murdering every vampire he encountered. "Good luck Kakashi. I hope you find your friend."

"Thank you, Naruto; I wish you the same."

With that the Hunter stood and disappeared into the night. Alone again, Naruto considered going back to sleep. He'd spent most of the day sleeping, however, and after his conversation with Kakashi he felt wide awake. Moving his bed into an upright position, Naruto took stock of the small hospital room. It was white, sterile, and bare but for the handful of cards on his bedside table. Even in the dim lighting of the room Naruto recognised Haku's almost feminine handwriting and Sasuke's uptight scrawl. The sight made him smile and wish his friends were there with him.

A sharp knock at the door made Naruto jump. The teenager spun round to face his visitor and saw Gaara hovering at the entrance to his room, a frown marring his face. "What did the Hunter want?" the vampire growled without coming in.

Naruto released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and ordered his heart to stop hammering against his ribs. "He wanted to apologise for being an ass and to tell me that he's planning on taking a break from interfering with my love life."

A look of curiosity crossed Gaara's visage as the vampire silently entered the room and took a seat on Naruto's bed. "And what did he claim had prompted this unexpected change of heart?"

"Becoming a vampire, getting shown up by you, needing to disappear so that the feds don't arrest him, wanting to find a friend he thought was dead but might actually be a vampire, and a realisation that he really doesn't know how to handle young people. He's got a proposition for you as well, by the way, but we can talk about that later." Naruto took Gaara's hand in his own and interlaced their fingers. "Thank you, for saving me. I'm trying not to remember what happened but I know it was bad. Thank you for getting me out of there."

"You would have done the same for me."

Naruto smiled weakly. "I would have tried to, but I don't think the story would have had a happy ending."

His brow creased in consternation, Gaara reached out and gently cupped Naruto's cheek. With his thumb he gently traced one of Naruto's new scars and murmured, "I do not think any less of you because you lack my power."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but instead of words it was a broken sob that escaped his throat. Gaara's frown deepened as tears began to spill from the teenager's eyes. He pulled the blond into a hug and held him there as Naruto continued to weep.

"Look at me," Naruto half laughed, half sobbed. "I'm crying like a girl on the shoulder of the guy who saved me from the big bad vampires. I guess I am a damsel in distress after all."

"Naruto," Gaara sighed, clearly uncertain what he was supposed to say to make things better.

"Sorry," the teenager mumbled. "It's just that...it was a really shitty night." The blond was quiet for a moment before asking, "It's over though right? I don't have to worry about losing anyone else do I?"

"It's over," Gaara confirmed. "You and your friends are safe. You don't need to live in fear anymore."

Naruto released a noiseless sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and savoured the warmth and security that came from being held in Gaara's arms. As long as Gaara was there he knew that he would be protected. He hadn't realised how much he'd needed that feeling of safety until just now. The trauma of the night before was still fresh in his mind and he hadn't realised how tense it had made him until he was actually able to relax. Naruto told Gaara this and tried not to wince at how pathetic he thought he sounded.

Gaara released his hold on Naruto, and for a second the blond thought perhaps he had sounded so pathetic that Gaara was leaving in disgust. Those thoughts were quickly dispelled as Gaara simply shifted his position so that he was properly situated on the hospital bed. He then pulled Naruto back into a hug and gave no indication that he was planning on letting go anytime soon. Naruto smiled and once again cuddled close to the vampire.

* * *

Please Review!

And if there are any questions you think I haven't answered please say so and I will do so in the epilogue.


	18. Epilogue

I would like to thank everyone who has stuck with this fic to the very end. I would escpecially like to thank those of you who took the time to review - your comments and support have been invaluable in convincing me to see this fic through to its conclusion. Thank you, and goodnight.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Weeks later, after Naruto had been released from the hospital and Iruka's murder case had officially gone cold, the blond teenager collected his guardian's ashes from the crematorium. It had been a wonderful service with a big turnout. The school where Iruka worked had given the staff and students the day off so that they could pay their respects, and had then taken a collection in order to help Naruto pay for the funeral. The teenager had been touched and extremely grateful. He knew it was because they pitied him and a part of him hated and wished to rebel against that. A much larger part, however, had been more concerned with trying not to compare this funeral to his parents'.

Holding the urn carefully, Naruto made his way back towards Gaara's apartment. Kakashi had kept his word and had somehow arranged it so that the two of them could stay together until the Hunter-turned-vampire returned from his quest. It made a pleasant change not having to sneak around anymore or keep secrets from everybody. Well, he did have to pretend that nothing was going on between him and Gaara whenever his social worker came round – but that was a scarce occurrence and an easy enough pretence to maintain whenever the woman checked in. For the most part Naruto and Gaara were left to their own devices, which was ideal really. They still went to Club Secret every Friday to meet with the others and dance the night away. Gaara would also go during the week to feed, which was weird and something Naruto had some difficulty getting use to. He was trying though, just as Gaara was trying to get use to his own habits and quirks. The challenge of living together was delightfully normal, which Naruto appreciated after facing such abnormal challenges like trying to survive a vampire attack.

Naruto shivered at the thought. He still wasn't completely over the whole kidnapping and torture incident. He still had nightmares and hated going anywhere alone in the dark. Gaara had told him that he'd get better with time, but Naruto disagreed. Time wasn't what he needed; what he needed was training. He'd replayed his last conversation with Kakashi multiple times in his head, and after the third or fourth time he'd picked up something he'd missed initially. Kakashi had said that after the death of Naruto's parents the Hunter had sought his father's old teacher. This mysterious mentor had turned Kakashi into a Hunter, and Naruto was curious as to whether the same could be done for him. He'd not yet discussed the idea with Gaara because he knew the vampire would disapprove. Gaara wanted him to wait until he was eighteen and become a vampire then. To Gaara two and a half years was nothing – to Naruto it was far too long. He didn't want to be powerless for that long; he didn't want to have to lean on his friends for two and a half years. He wanted to be strong, to be the one to defend _them_. He didn't want to be a burden. That was why he had texted Kakashi about his mysterious mentor. Naruto wanted to know who he was and whether he would accept him as a student; he wanted to know whether this man could give him what he sought. He wanted to know if he could become strong enough to protect his friends so that he never again lost someone as he had lost Iruka.

The phone in Naruto's pocket vibrated and began to play a cheerful tune. He hastily fished it out and glanced at the caller id. Speak of the devil...

"Hi Kakashi."

"Naruto," greeted the Hunter. "I got your text."

Naruto felt his heart race with anticipation. "And?"

"And I don't think you've discussed this with Gaara have you?"

Naruto frowned at Kakashi's amused tone. "I didn't want to say anything until I knew if it was possible. And what do you care if I've talked to Gaara or not?"

"I care because you might need his help in getting to the training camp – it's not an easy place to find for a reason."

"So you think he would train me?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Maybe. You'll have to convince him to take you on as his student, just as I did. He likes to claim that he's retired from the hunting business and isn't interested in taking on another pupil."

"He took you on though."

"I was very convincing."

Naruto considers this for a moment. "Kakashi, do you regret becoming a Hunter?"

Kakashi sighed. "I regret the reasons I became a Hunter. I wanted revenge and was willing to do anything to achieve it. It clouded my mind and I've made some bad decisions because of it. I think your motives are much purer. State your case; tell him you want to learn his skills so that you can protect your friends. Whether he'll accept you as his pupil is just as uncertain as whether you will later regret making the decision. In my opinion it's a much better option than becoming a vampire."

Naruto smiled despite himself. "You would think that."

Kakashi just chuckled. He then once again became serious as he asked, "Are you sure you want to take this path?"

"I want to protect my friends."

Naruto sensed Kakashi was smiling at the other end of the line. "There's a small mountain town called Konoha six hours away by train. When you get there look for the seediest bar imaginable, because that's where you'll find mine and your father's mentor – the legendary Hunter Jiraiya."

"Jiraiya," Naruto murmured reverently.

"Good luck Naruto," Kakashi said before hanging up.

Naruto put his phone back into his pocket and resumed his journey with new purpose. He had plans to devise and dreams to make reality. It was time for him and Gaara to begin a new adventure.

* * *

Please Review!


	19. Bonus Material

As promised, a bonus chapter outlining where this story would have gone if I had the time to write it. Hopefully it answers any questions left unaddressed by Club Secret.

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**Castle Clandestine**

Naruto tells Gaara that he wants to visit Jiraiya and receive his training. Gaara thinks it's a bad idea, that Jiraiya will brainwash Naruto into hating vampires. He tells Naruto not to go and they fight. Then Gaara receives a letter from his sire summoning him home. Gaara tells Naruto he has to go and the teenager should stay with his friends while he's away. Naruto asks where he's going but Gaara says it's a secret and leaves abruptly. Naruto goes to stay with Haku who tells him not to rush into anything and that all vampires have secrets they find difficult sharing, especially when they're as old as Gaara.

Meanwhile, Kakashi finds Obito. Obito runs because he thinks Kakashi is after him, but Kakashi catches up to him and shows he's also a vampire. They talk, and Kakashi asks why Obito never tried to find him. Obito says he did but when he found out Kakashi was training to be a Hunter he kept his distance. He was ashamed that he'd gotten Rin killed and thought he'd only hurt Kakashi if he showed up as a vampire.

Gaara arrives at Castle Clandestine to meet his sire Shukaku. Apparently some of the vampires he killed weren't very subtle and word reached Shukaku that Minato had a son. Since nobody's been seen bragging about killing Naruto, Shukaku assumes that Gaara killed them. Gaara worries that his sire will punish him for this but Shukaku doesn't care. He still assumes Gaara is cold and bloodthirsty and is playing Naruto so that it'll be all the more painful when he kills him later. Gaara goes along with the story and asks if this is the reason he was summoned. Shukaku replies it was in part – the Nine Vampire Lords (of which he is one) are in need of a Hunter and he was hoping Gaara might know one connected to Naruto. Gaara gives him Kakashi's name and vague location. Shukaku sends out bounty hunters Hidan and Kakuzu to collect Kakashi.

Kakashi and Obito are trying to reconnect but it's awkward. They get attacked by the bounty hunters and are able to take them out. Kakashi gets worried and convinces Obito that they need to go check on Naruto.

Meanwhile, after spending days reverting to old habits of killing humans to avoid suspicion, Gaara convinces Shukaku that he needs to get back to Naruto so that he can protect his kill. Shukaku agrees and Gaara gets back just before Kakashi. Naruto wants to know what's going on and Kakashi gets suspicious when he hears Gaara's been gone for a week. Obito confused, but he's sure he recognises Gaara from somewhere.

A week later Shukaku hears his bounty hunters failed and calls Gaara back, telling him to bring Naruto. Gaara say going to take Naruto to meet Jiraiya, but Kakashi suspicious and say he's going to do it. Gaara say fine. Naruto happy, but less so when Gaara say he has to disappear on business and Kakashi and Obito will have to do it.

Naruto and the two vampires find Jiraiya who isn't interested in training him. He thought Kakashi would get himself killed or turned into a vampire and he's glad he was proved right. Glad his head is in a better place though. Naruto attempts to convince Jiraiya to change his mind. He starts talking about Gaara and Jiraiya recognises him, his sire, and his rep. Obito realises where he remembers him from. Kakashi say Gaara was likely the one who sent bounty hunters after him. Naruto objects, but it gets Jiraiya thinking. He says maybe Gaara has changed whilst away from his sire – who's powerful and malicious. A sire can always find their progeny and maybe Gaara let Naruto go in order to keep him safe. Or maybe it's a trap and Gaara is going to lead the vampires right to them. Either way, something is happening. Jiraiya had recently been approached by the Hunter Council asking him to help them. He'd refused because he's retired and doesn't want to get involved. But he's worried and he'd liked Minato, so he agrees to train Naruto.

Meanwhile, Gaara has to explain that the Hunter wouldn't let Naruto leave and he didn't want to blow his cover unless explicitly ordered. Plus, he thought Shukaku wanted the Hunter alive and it would have been quite suspicious if he was seen transporting two prisoners. Shukaku gives him the benefit of the doubt, but still punishes him with a little psychic torture.

Naruto begins his training. Mostly it's building up his fitness and some weapons training. Kakashi and Obito occasionally help but a lot of the time they spend together talking about their lives and remembering the past and getting closer.

Jiraiya explains that although Hunters are usually solitary, there is a governing body that is supposed to be there to aid them in times of crisis and make sure information is passed on to all. When hunting runs in the family you're connected to the Hunter Council. If you're an outsider like Kakashi was then you learn about the Council when you're ready.

Next day another one of the Nine Vampire Lords, Kyuubi, arrives. He wants to have a conversation with Gaara. Tells him that in certain parts Hunters are attacking more and more vampires. The vampires have had enough and want to wipe them out. There's going to be a full-on war soon. But first they need a Hunter with information on the Council of Hunters and their recent movements. Kyuubi isn't as blind as Shukaku when it comes to Gaara and knows that he's not as bloodthirsty as he used to be. He promises to keep Naruto safe if Gaara gets him a Hunter. Gaara agrees for Naruto's sake and because Kakashi is a problem he'd like to get rid of.

A Hunter calls on Jiraiya asking him to join the Council. He says there's talk of war coming, and Jiraiya agrees to go to gather information. Naruto wants to know about his training. Jiraiya says it will take weeks and he won't be ready for a war if there is one. Naruto asks if there is anything he can do. After much pleading Jiraiya admits he could transform him now. A Hunter is given a mixture that is part vampire blood, part other magic. They train first because it's easier to reach your physical peak as a human and then become a Hunter than to become a Hunter and then do all the training. But since Naruto needs all the help he can get Jiraiya will make an exception. He gives Naruto the potion but nothing happens. Jiraiya says he thought it might happen. When he met Naruto's mother years ago he guessed she might have the fabled 'Gift of the Whirlpool'. The Gift is an ancient bloodpool trait that gives all those who know how to use it the power to render a vampire powerless. Only one family ever had the Gift and it was rumoured they'd all been killed by vampires before they could learn how to use it. Naruto also has the Gift, which means he can neither become a vampire or a Hunter. Disappointed, Naruto, Kakashi and Obito head home.

Gaara is waiting for them, and Kakashi immediately confronts him. Gaara admits that he has made a deal which is basically Kakashi for Naruto. Naruto is furious but Gaara says he didn't have much choice. They'll find out Kakashi has no information and recruit him to their side when they see he's a vampire. Gaara couldn't refuse a Vampire Lord unless he wanted them all to be killed or captured. He says if they go peacefully then Kyuubi will pretend at civility because that's what he does. If Kakashi cooperates then they'll treat him well because he's a vampire. They can try to run but if Kyuubi really does have spies watching them then they'll need to run fast and hide well. In the end they decide to go to Castle Clandestine.

At the castle Kakashi is taken for interrogation, but they don't torture him because he's a vampire. Kyuubi works out he doesn't know anything and says he's free to go. The Vampire Lord then turns his attention to Naruto. Naruto is terrified of all the crazy vampires that kill the humans they feed on. He mostly hides in his room or with Obito. He starts to become scared of Gaara, who is much colder here. He says he wants to leave but the vampires make it obvious he's not going anywhere.

There's a meeting at the castle of the Nine Vampire Lords. Some of them want the war, others don't. These are the vampires who think humans are more than just food. They help Naruto, Obito and Kakashi to escape. Gaara has to stay behind because Shukaku will be able to find him. Naruto objects but Gaara convinces him that this is how it has to be for now.

Shukaku tortures Gaara and tries to get him to give up Naruto's location. Gaara doesn't know so can't tell. Shukaku reveals that the reason Gaara can't remember his human life is because he forced himself to forget his sire massacring his family and then keeping him as a blood slave until he was 19. Gaara decides then that his loyalty is only to Naruto, but he has to be careful because Shukaku still has power over him.

Naruto heads back to see Jiraiya. Jiraiya says they can stay with him but they should be careful. The war with vampires is all but declared and they're going to want to recruit Naruto. Naruto say not want to go to war; want to learn how to use his Gift. Jiraiya give him directions to the Cave of Discovery. If he goes there he might learn how to use it.

Naruto travels to cave and undergoes a series of hallucinogenic visions that end with his ancestors teaching him how to take a vampire's powers. He tells Kakashi he wants to use his Gift to rescue Gaara. Kakashi advices they gather more people before attempting to infiltrate the castle. They go to meet the Hunter Council: the 5 Kages (with Baki in place of Gaara). Naruto tells them that not all vampires are bad and Kakashi and Obito are good examples. Half the council agree, the other half think all vampires need to be wiped out. They discuss the matter and decide that either way taking out Castle Clandestine is a good thing and offer Naruto as many Hunters as needed to save Gaara. Kakashi organises the team while Naruto calls Zabuza and asks if there's anything he needs to know before he tries to do this. Zabuza offers advice and asks if he needs help on the potential suicide mission. Naruto says it would be safer for him to stay away; he doesn't want him killed by friendly fire.

Plan made, Naruto and gang infiltrate the castle as quietly as possible. In the end the alarm is raised and an all-out battle occurs. Naruto rushes to the dungeons and rescues Gaara. During their escape Shukaku appears and Naruto takes his power. Gaara gets his revenge by killing him. Naruto also has to take the power of the other Vampire Lords who try and fight. Those uninterested in a war and killing humans escape. Kyuubi also escapes.

Naruto returns to the Hunter Council, who want him to take out the other Vampire Lords. He says there's only one he would help them take down and he's not really interested at the moment. Maybe in a few years but he's a little traumatised right now. Council discuss and decide that's fair enough. The remaining Vampire Lords (minus Kyuubi) want a treaty signing anyway. They'll police vampires better and there won't be any killing if the Hunter's promise the same. The Council promises to attempt the treaty, so long as they can monitor vampires and kill any they see breaking the treaty. The treaty is approved and Naruto heads home knowing there are going to be lots of problems, but hopefully they'll find a way to make it work.

Naruto chooses to stay with Haku for a bit to try and forget all the murdering. Then he goes to live with Kakashi, who has bought a house with Obito. Now that the two are together he's more chilled about the whole Gaara situation, but he does still act like a protective parent who disapproves of the boyfriend. Gaara is actually glad for the space after the time in Shukaku's dungeon. He's starting to return to being the vampire he was before all this happened, but he still doesn't entirely trust himself. He's taking it a day at a time, but he still loves Naruto and Naruto still loves him. They have problems but they're working through them.

Kyuubi is out there plotting, but for the moment all is peaceful and positive. Like everyone he's waiting to see if humans, vampires, and Hunters can all live together, and waiting for the fallout if they can't.


End file.
